Turnabout Hearts - Distance
by EmeraldWings1992
Summary: BK 3 - A year has passed since the demise of Organization XIII. Aurora, now a fully fledged Attorney, works cases and helps people, but finds herself missing her friends from the other worlds, especially Riku. As the Keyblade Wielders begin their Mark of Mastery, Aurora has a vision and believes that Riku is in danger. This is the start of her own journey through the worlds.
1. The Legal Age

**A/N:** Hey guys! Here's the first chapter of book 3 of the _Turnabout Heart_ series! For those of you who read STARC, I will finish it. The next chapter is almost done. I just… keep hitting a wall, mainly because I REALLY want to write this, and… well…

Also, don't expect updates to be as frequent as they were in the past. I can't type for too long due to having carpal tunnel in my left hand, and I have to focus on homework and original scripts before I can focus on fanfiction. That's just the way it goes. Sorry!

Also, thank you ALL for your votes! I decided to go with the top three voted worlds. You'll see what they are as I get to each!

Now, ONWARD!

…

Chapter One: The Legal Age

Aurora slammed her hands down on the bench in front of her, startling the current witness.

" _OBJECTION!_ " she yelled, swinging her arm out to point at the man. After her first pointing lesson since returning from world traveling, her cousin, Phoenix, had suggested she not wear her shield-wristband to court. She agreed that it probably wouldn't be her best idea.

"What is it now, Wright-dono?" an annoyed, yet bored voice demanded from the prosecutor's bench. Aurora didn't look up from the witness, however.

"If what you say is true, that the feathers found at the scene were from a real bird, and not the synthetic ones from the pillow, then there's no way my client could have committed the crime!" Aurora announced.

"Wh-what do you mean?" the man on the stand cried. "Of course he did!"

Aurora smiled, resting her hip against the bench comfortably and pulling out a few papers. "This here, is my client's medical charts. Right at the top is a list of his allergies. And the first one? Feathers. That's why he had pillows made with _synthetic_ feathers," Aurora said, before standing up straight and slamming her hands on the bench again. "Thus, he c _ouldn't_ have been the one to commit this crime, because he would have had an allergic reaction!"

The court burst into rumbling as the witness reared back in surprise, nervously plucking at his clothes.

"Good job, Aurora. Now drive it home," Phoenix said from where he stood next to his cousin. Aurora flashed him a smirk and a nod, before turning back to the witness.

"What does this mean!?" the Judge gasped. Aurora leaned forward over the bench, her hands still planted on it.

"This means that the only one who could have committed this crime must own a real bird, as a pet!" Aurora announced. Suddenly, a feather drifted down in front of her face, before being sliced in half. Aurora jerked back with a squeak of surprise, looking down at the two halves of the feather, and a few strands of her hair that had followed it.

"I hope you're not implying something dangerous, Wright-dono," the prosecutor growled. Aurora finally looked up at her opponent, Simon Blackquill, and paled. He was giving her a dangerous look, his hand at his side like he was about to draw a sword. The feather that was normally in his mouth was gone. Taka, his hawk, was perched on his shoulder, giving her a golden glare.

"Ms. Wright!" the Judge gasped. "Are you accusing the prosecution?"

"Wh-what!? No! Of course not!" Aurora gasped, still leaning against the wall behind the bench. The Judge narrowed his eyes.

"Then you might want to rethink your statement," he snapped, slamming his gavel once. Aurora winced slightly at the sound.

"One doesn't have to own a bird to get bird feathers on them. Think a bit more about it," Phoenix said, crossing his arms with a smile. Aurora nodded, standing straight again, and thinking through everything they had learned. Suddenly, she gasped.

"That's it! It had to be someone who could get feathers on them without having an allergic reaction. There are many ways this could happen. Including," she turned her glare onto the witness, "a window washer who was attacked by a group of pigeons for knocking down their nests."

"What!?" Simon turned his glare onto the witness. Phoenix slumped slightly, sweat pouring off of him.

"I swear, I think he's more passionate about crimes against birds then humans…" he muttered.

"I… I didn't—"

"Witness! You even testified earlier that you'd been attacked at work the morning of the murder! Are you saying it was by a _flock of birds!?_ " the Judge gasped.

The witness's head swiveled between the defense, the prosecution, and the judge, before he finally broke down.

"Alright, yes! I did it! I did it!" he wailed, dropping to his knees. As he fell, more feathers drifted off of him. He began to pluck more vigorously at his clothes, almost like a bird nervously pruning its feathers, while making warbling noises. More feathers were plucked from his clothes.

"Uh…" Aurora muttered.

"Eh. Not the weirdest breakdown I've seen…" Phoenix muttered, scratching the side of his head. Aurora giggled at that.

Finally, a bailiff came and took the witness away, while another quickly swept the witness stand clear of feathers. Aurora's client smiled gratefully at him as he stepped up to it, sniffling slightly at a stuffy nose.

"Well, it seems to be time to hand down my verdict. _Not Guilty!"_

…

Aurora Wright was seventeen years old, the younger cousin of Phoenix Wright, and the newest member of the Wright Anything Agency, having earned her badge just two weeks ago. She had grown about half an inch since the battle against Organization XIII, and currently had her dirty blond hair pulled back into a bun that was spiky in its own right, with a few strands framing her face. Dressed professionally, she wore a teal business blazer with the sleeves folded up, stopping just above her elbows, with a white shirt underneath and a matching, teal business skirt. Under the skirt was a pair of black leggings, and black, ankle high boots. On her right wrist was a pink ribbon, and she was pulling a black cloth wristband with two silver-metal bands onto her left wrist. On her right middle finger was her class ring from Themis Legal Academy, and a gold, sunflower pin on her right lapel. Completing the look was a black choker with a silver, star-shaped locket.

She had traveled the worlds, faced darkness face to face, and helped numerous people. And yet, this win had her bouncing up and down like a little girl next to her cousin as they exited the court room.

"Your second win," Phoenix said with a grin.

"Yep!" Aurora said brightly, before sighing, reaching up and touching the star shaped locket around her neck. _(Too bad Riku wasn't here to see this. I understand though…)_

Just a few days ago, right before she took this case, actually, her boyfriend, Riku, and his best friend, Sora, had shown up, just after her first case, at the agency. They couldn't stay long, due to being on their way to Master Yen Sid's for the Mark of Mastery exam. But Riku did promise to return once they were done.

"So, how'd it feel?" Phoenix asked with a grin. Aurora smiled back at him.

"Nowhere near as scary as the first time," she laughed, talking about when she had defended a dear friend against the same prosecutor just last week. Phoenix laughed at that, slinging his arm around his cousin.

"I can imagine! Come on, let's go find the others," he said with a warm smile, leading her away.

…

It was later that night. Aurora was curled up on her bed, trying to focus on the well-worn, blue book in her lap. The outside cover had no title, but the inside page declared it to be called _Spell Arts_. It had been a gift from Merlin, one of her magic mentors. Her eyes, however, kept trailing to the pictures she had hanging on her wall over her desk.

The first was taken in Hollow Bastion—Radiant Garden. It was herself, Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, Merlin, and even Cloud – The Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, standing at the Castle Postern, taken to celebrate the day they finally cleaned up and got through all the rubble separating the town from the castle. It reminded her of the purple ID card in her wallet that declared her a Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Member. _(If I ever see them again, I'll have to get that updated…)_ she thought with a smile. Her eyes then traveled to another picture.

This one was of her with the Twilight Town gang, in front of the Haunted Mansion of Twilight Town. Her, Hayner, and Roxas stood in the back row, with Hayner's arms slung over her and Roxas, while Pence and Olette crouched in front of them. _(I wonder how Hayner, Pence, and Olette are doing…)_

The last picture was taken at night, with the full moon hovering low over the water in the background. It was taken in Destiny Islands. Riku stood with his arm around her waist, while Goofy stood on her other side, his arm slung over her shoulders. Sora and Kairi were crouched in front of them, with Sora's arms around Kairi's shoulders and Donald's. King Mickey stood on Donald's other side. They had taken it right before she had left Destiny Islands and had returned home.

"You miss them, don't you?" Trucy, who had entered the room, unnoticed, five minutes ago, asked. Aurora jumped, quickly looking over.

"Huh?"

"All the friends you made world traveling. You miss them, don't you?" Trucy asked. Aurora smiled weakly, closing her book.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do," she admitted. Trucy smiled at her, coming over and sitting next to her cousin. She looked at the pictures for a moment, before turning to face Aurora.

"Tell me about them?" she asked, pointing to the RGRC. Aurora grinned.

"Well, first, there's Leon…" she began, telling her how the older man had taught her how to fight, and how he was gruff, but kind, and caring. Aerith was the mother of the group, always making sure we all ate and slept enough. Yuffie was chipper, all the time, and acted as the other messenger. Cid was the old man who was grumpy, but kind, and actually kind of funny. Merlin was a powerful wizard who taught her magic – not just illusions, but _real_ magic. And Cloud was… closed off. He'd help out, but he was dealing with his own darkness that still haunted him. Trucy listened to all of it with a grin.

"I'm kind of jealous, you know. You got to meet all these amazing people, and see some awesome things," she finally said.

"It… wasn't all glam and glorious," she reminded her. Trucy's face grew solemn as she glanced at the picture sitting on Aurora's nightstand.

It showed a younger Aurora, about eleven, getting a piggyback ride from a guy who was about nineteen. He was tall and lanky, with the same sandy-blond hair as Aurora's though his was even more spiky then hers. His teal eyes were bright with happiness that reflected in his carefree grin.

"Right," Trucy said softly. Aurora looked over at the picture, before taking a deep breath and shaking away the glum.

"But anyways, that doesn't matter. I think I'm gonna go to bed, 'kay?" she said. Trucy nodded.

"Alright. G'night, Aurora."

"'Night, Trucy," she said, changing from her business suit into an oversized blue long-sleeved shirt that had a red bull on the front, and black shorts. In black, on the back of the shirt, read _Themis Bulls_. Aurora pulled her bun out, letting her hair fall around her shoulders, and laid down to go to sleep.

…

 _When Aurora opened her eyes, she wasn't in her bed. In fact, she was in a large, baron wasteland. All around her, twenty paths cut through hundreds of thousands of dead-looking Keyblades. The paths all lead towards her. She slowly turned, noticing that seven of them were bathed in light, while thirteen of the paths were swathed in shadows._

 _A blue glow suddenly appeared above her, and looking up, she spotted a heart-shaped moon._

" _Kingdom Hearts…" she breathed. Varying temperatures flowed over her, ranging from scalding hot to frigid cold, all from the moon floating over her. (_ This one is more powerful than that of the Organization's. Is this… is this the _real_ one, while their's had just been a copy? A fake?)

 _Aurora looked down again, slowly turning on the spot. "What do these paths mean? Seven light… thirteen dark… Like Organization XIII? Does that mean the lights are those who oppose them?" she muttered allowed, turning to face the paths of light._

 _As she watched, one of the light paths suddenly darkened. The ground splintered and cracked, and darkness oozed from the cracks, taking over the entire path. Before her eyes, it grew just as dark as the thirteen._

" _No…" she gasped. "NO!"_

…

"-rora! Aurora! Wake up!" Trucy yelled, shaking her sleeping cousin. Aurora trashed away from her hands, muttering in her sleep.

"Kingdom Hearts… Organization…." She muttered. "Darkness… no… no!" Aurora suddenly shot straight up in bed. "RIKU!" she screamed, clutching at her locket. There was a crash from down the hall, hurried footsteps, and Phoenix stood, panting, in the doorway.

"What's wrong!?" he gasped. Trucy looked up at him.

"Aurora… had a nightmare," she said. Aurora closed her eyes, breathing heavily, before diving into her nightstand and pulling out a locked book. The other Wrights watched as the shaking girl unlocked it and began to write furiously.

"A-Aurora?" Phoenix called softly. She finally looked up, and Phoenix could read the fear, worry, and confusion in her eyes. "Are you okay? It's… been quite a while since you had a nightmare."

"I'm… I'm okay," she said in a hushed voice, her eyes flickering back to her book as she continued to write. "It was… different from the ones before," she admitted.

"You called out for Riku," Trucy said. Aurora's pen froze in her book, and she looked over at the girl.

"Did I?"

"Yes. Did something happen to him in your dream?" Trucy asked. Aurora bit her lip and looked between the two, before seeming to decide.

"No, but… I think something _will_ happen," she admitted.

"You mean you had something like… a vision?" Phoenix asked, moving closer.

"Yes? Maybe? I don't know. It… it felt like a warning. Like something was going to happen to one of the defenders of light. And… Riku's heart is the only one I'm connected to," Aurora admitted. She looked between the two, and sighed, explaining her dream. They listened silently for a few minutes, before Phoenix finally came to a decision.

"You… need to find some way to contact them," he said. Aurora jumped and looked up at Phoenix.

"You believe me?" she asked.

"Aurora. I'm dating a Spirit Medium. I see secrets hidden behind big red locks. My cousin can cast magic and sense the balance of light and dark in someone's heart. She's traveled to other worlds and has seen some amazing, unbelievable things. I met someone who is from a different universe, and even met an alternate universe version of someone I personally know. Seeing an omen in your dream? I can honestly say that's not the most out there thing I've seen or heard of," Phoenix said, wrapping an arm around her.

"Heh, right. And… if I have to go away again?" Aurora asked softly.

"I'll think of something believable to tell your parents. Maybe something to do with the Legal League of Attorneys," he said. Aurora smiled and hugged her cousin.

"Thank you, Nick," she said, getting up. She grabbed her shoulder bag, the one Huey, Dewey, and Louie had sold her, and checked inside, noticing she still had some elixirs and potions left over from last year.

"I'm gonna go check out Gourdy Park. That seems to be where all the other-worldly things appear," she said. Phoenix nodded and stood, slipping out of the room to let her get dressed.

Aurora got dressed, wearing a teal, short-sleeved Themis zipper hoodie, hoodie, with the zipper down and a black shirt underneath. On the right breast of the hoodie was the gold, Themis crest, and across the back, in big, bold blue letters, read _DEFENDER._ On the left breast, Aurora had attached her Attorney's badge and four retro game pins. She wore a pair of denim shorts that went to just below her knees with a teal belt, and Timberland work booths. Around her right wrist was the pink ribbon, with her class ring on her middle finger, and around her left wrist was her black wrist band with the silver bands. The ever present choker and locket were around her neck, and her hair was pulled back into a spiky ponytail.

She packed the _Spell Arts_ book into her bag and made her way out of the apartment and to Gourdy Park.

…

A man, wearing a long, black robe, smirked from where he stood on the roof of the apartment building, listening in to the Wrights' conversation.

"Perfect," he muttered, before disappearing.

…

Between the trees, it was dark and silent. Aurora had her shield activated, ready for anything. Every now and again, there were reports of Heartless popping up in these trees, but tonight, they seemed to be quiet.

When she reached the water of the lake, she sighed, looking up at the stars.

"Riku, wherever you are… I hope your safe," she muttered, putting a hand over her locket.

The water lapped slightly at the shore, and Aurora noticed something floating in it. Bending down, she picked up a purple, star-shaped gem, about the size of her hand. One of the points was formed out of white lightning, and inside, in the center, was the image of a white star, with a white pointed circle around it.

"Wait…" she muttered, reaching into her bag and pulling out _Spell Arts_ , flipping it to one of the last pages that had writing on it. There was a pencil sketch of the same exact gem.

"A Star Shard? It'll… take the user to where they are needed," she read, before her eyes lit up, and she turned to look at the little unassuming gem.

"Really? Then take me to Riku!" she told it. It flashed, before her entire body glowed with a purple light, and she was whisked away.

The man in the black cloak smirked in the shadows of his hood, and vanished in a Corridor of Darkness.

…

As Aurora moved through the Lanes In Between, cloaked in the purple light, she felt something in her heart. Before her eyes flashed an image.

 _A dark path, with a small bush to the side, leading to the rising sun. Another image superimposed itself over that – a sunny beach, with lush, green vegetation throwing small, cool shadows._

"Wh-what was that…?" Aurora muttered curiously to herself.

…

 **A/N:** TADA! *jazz hands*

Okay! The first world will be a secret until I finish that chapter and post it!


	2. The Wizarding World

**A/N:** Here's the second one! And you guessed it from the title – This is _Harry Potter!_ I'm going off of the movie version.

This was the second most popular vote, and it works well with the direction that I'm taking Aurora's character.

I am attempting to type one handed. Let's see how this works!

Well, nothing left to say, except ONWARD!

…

Chapter Two: The Wizarding World

To say that she had a smooth landing would be a lie. Aurora _slammed_ into the ground, causing a small explosion of powdery snow.

"Ooooh… that hurt," Aurora moaned, rolling onto her back. She looked over at the purple Star Shard as the glow faded, and sighed, stowing it away in her bag.

"Eh? What 'er you doin' out here?" a gruff voice suddenly asked from behind. Aurora turned to see a man, easily ten feet tall, looking down at her, his bushy hair and beard dusted white with snow. He had small eyes, nearly hidden by his thick hair, but Aurora saw kindness deep in them. Coupled with that was a deep feeling of warmth that was radiating off of him.

His heart was light.

"Er…" Aurora muttered, standing and brushing her shorts off. The man looked her up and down, shock crossing his face.

"An' out 'ere without some proper clothes on! Are you crazy?" he demanded. Aurora opened her mouth in another attempt to answer, when a chill stole over her that had nothing to do with the snowflakes drifting lazily down through the trees.

She spun around, just in time to see yellow eyes appear among the trees, followed by black bodies.

"Heartless!" she cried, activating her shield.

"What!?" the man gasped, pulling a… pink umbrella? From one of the many pockets in his large jacket. "That' wha' these creatures are called?"

"Yes. They're dangerous. You have to get away!" Aurora said. Just then, they lunged. Some went for her, but most went for the giant with the umbrella.

"No!" she cried before lifting her left hand to the air. " _GATHER!"_ she yelled, casting a powerful Magnega spell. Red and blue lights appeared above her and swirled around each other, dragging the Heartless into their glow. Aurora rolled out from underneath them and pointed at them with her left hand. " _GRAVIGA!"_ Black and purple light appeared around them, and the Heartless slammed into the ground, flattening into the snow.

"Yer a witch?" the man gasped.

"Um… yes?" Aurora said, glancing over at the man. His eyes widened, and he pointed the umbrella at something just over her left shoulder. Red sparks shot from the tip, and slammed into the Heartless that had just lunged for Aurora's back. She glanced back and took a deep breath.

"Thank."

"Yer welcome," he said, turning and blasting more Heartless. Aurora turned, watching the Heartless. The Shadows gave way to Wizards, Red Nocturns, and Blue Rhapsodies.

"Damn… the purple ones are immune to magic!" Aurora called to her comrade, alternating between fire spells on the Blue Rhapsodies and blizzard spells on the Red Nocturns.

"Right then," the man said, before suddenly charging the Wizards. Aurora winced as he rammed into them, causing those to disappear too. Aurora stretched out her senses, before sighing in relief.

"That was the last of them," she said, turning to the man. "Thank you."

"Righ'. Who 'er you?" the man asked, weary caution in his voice. Aurora smiled slightly, understanding. She deactivated her shield and held out her hand.

"Aurora Wright," she introduced. "Your next question is probably how I know so much about those things. I travel around, fighting them," she explained.

"Okay," the man said, shaking her hand. Aurora clenched her teeth at the power behind his grip, which practically swallowed her hand. "I'm Hagrid, Groundskeeper of Hogwarts," he said, stowing his umbrella away. "Come on. The Headmaster will wan' to speak with you," he said. Aurora watched as the man grabbed a _large_ pine tree and began dragging it again.

 _(Hogwarts? Headmaster? So… some kind of school, then,)_ Aurora thought. The two soon left the woods, only to reach the edge of a large field. Aurora looked around, noticing a large lake a bit away, and a small hut to their left. Ahead, over the slightly rolling fields, was a large, beautiful gray castle. Snow drifted down all around them, and Aurora shivered slightly, wrapping her arms around herself.

 _(I am SO not dressed for this…)_ she thought, zipping up her hoody.

The walk up to the castle was quiet as Hagrid continued to drag the tree, seeming to concentrate on the task.

As they entered the castle, Aurora shivered slightly, shaking the snow dusting out of her hair. Kids, ranging from early teens to her own age, ran to and fro, most wearing long black cloaks. _Ghosts_ floated by, singing carols. Aurora's face lit up as she looked back at the tree that Hagrid was dragging.

 _(Of course! Snow and pine trees and singing… it's Christmas!)_ she thought excitedly.

"I'm gonna drop this 'ere tree off, before taking you to Professor Dumbledore," Hagrid said, glancing back at her.

"Okay!" Aurora said with a smile. The friendly giant led her into a large hall where there were four, long tables set up. At the head of the room, on a raised dias, was a fifth table, set perpendicular to the other tables.

"Ah, thank you, Hagrid. We can set it up just over there," a small man ran over to the two of them. Aurora nearly gasped. He was old, if his wrinkled face and white hair were any indication, but he only came up to the girl's _knee_.

"Righ' then, Professor Flitwick," Hagrid said, taking the tree to where the man indicated. He untied the rope and stepped back, and Flitwick used a small stick _– (A wand!? Cool!)_ – to make it stand upright and shake all the snow off. He then began to use the wand to make gold ornaments raise and attach to the tree.

"Cool…" Aurora breathed.

"Common, then, Aurora," the giant said, leading the girl away.

…

Ten minutes later, Aurora sat in a two story office. There were paintings everywhere, that were _moving_ and talking, though most were staring at her, different magical looking tools sitting on spindly-legged tables, and a beautiful red and gold bird. Hagrid had left her there while he went to help with the decorations.

"So, you're the girl that Hagrid found in the Forbidden Forest," a kind voice said from the top of the stairs, just as warmth washed over Aurora. There was a small chill associated with that too, but that was normal, in Aurora's opinion. Most people had both light and darkness. She looked up, only for her jaw to nearly drop. Standing there was a man who looked just like Merlin.

"Um, yes, sir," she said, standing. My name is Aurora. Aurora Wright," she said. The man smiled, motioning for her to sit again. She did.

"I am Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hagrid said that you knew of the Heartless, and you knew how to fight them," the man said, sitting and steepleing his fingers, looking at her over the tips. "Tell me, Aurora, do you wield a Keyblade?" the man asked.

"What!?" Aurora squeaked, surprised. "I don't… you're not… how do you know…?"

"I told him, silly girl," one of the paintings suddenly spoke up. She looked up at the old man in the painting, noticing that the portrait itself was extremely old. The colors were faded, and there were clear signs of repair to the canvas. "I once had one of your kind come here when I was Headmaster many years ago. Hmph. Wasn't too good on the secret keeping thing. Told me all about his weapon and other worlds…" the man grumbled.

"Um… okay…" Aurora turned her attention back to Dumbledore. "No, I'm not a Keyblade Wielder, sir. But my friends are, and they're the ones that taught me to fight the Heartless," she explained.

"Ah. And why are you here now?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, I'm looking for my friends. I… fear they might be in danger. But I… have a charm that takes me to where I'm most needed at that time. I don't know if I'm needed here because of the Heartless, or maybe because my friends are here…" There was hope in her voice as she looked up the older man. "Their names are Sora and Riku…"

"Hm… you're the first to appear since the year has started, quite a few months ago," Dumbledore said. "Except, of course, the Heartless."

"Right," Aurora sighed softly, before looking up with a smile. "Well, then that's the reason the Star Shard bought me here. What can I do to help?" Aurora asked.

The man stroked his beard thoughtfully, studying the girl over his spectacles.

"For now, perhaps you can stay with us, at least for the winter break and defend the grounds. How old are you?"

"Seventeen, sir."

"The right age for a Seventh Year." He seemed thoughtful for a moment before nodding to himself and standing. He walked over to where an old hat sat on the table, picking it up and coming back. "You have an American accent. We will say you attended Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, until your family was attacked by the Heartless, and you fled here. During the fight, your wand broke, and you put the pieces of it into your shield," he said. Aurora nodded, quickly taking note of this in the notebook she pulled from her bag. Dumbledore came back, carrying the hat. "This is the Sorting Hat. We will use it to decide where you will stay while you are here, as well as what house you had belonged to at Ilvermorny."

"Sir, I don't know anything about that school though. What should I do if anyone asks?" Aurora asked. Dumbledore smiled kindly at her.

"Luckily, the secrets of each magical school are jealously guarded. That means you have the right to refuse to answer," he said, before placing the old hat over her head.

" _Hmm…. Inquisitive and knowledgeable… yet very brave… and even loyal…"_ a voice suddenly whispered in Aurora's ear, causing her to jump. There was a chuckle. " _Surprised, my dear? Do not worry. I am simply trying to decide which house would be the best fit for you."_

( _Okay…)_

" _You seem ever curious. Constantly studying… thirsting for more. Aha. Perfect, just perfect. RAVENCLAW!"_ the hat announced. Dumbledore lifted the hat from Aurora's head, and the girl blinked up at him.

"Ravenclaw?" she asked.

"A house of scholars," Dumbledore said with a smile, putting the hat back. "Which means, at Ilvermorny, you would have been in the house of the Horned Serpent," he explained.

"Right," Aurora said, writing this all down. After providing her with Hogwarts robes and a blue and bronze scarf, Dumbledore sent Aurora off with a guy named Robert, who was apparently a Prefect for Ravenclaw, and would be showing her to the tower and her room.

…

Aurora spent the next few days alternating between fighting the Heartless that seemed scared of coming out of the forest, and reading in the library and the Ravenclaw common room. She was thankful for the robes, cloak, and scarf Dumbledore had given her, as they were very warm. Aurora met very few of the other students, as most of them (and all of the seventh year Ravenclaw girls) went home for Christmas break.

Through these books, Aurora began to learn many spells. A few came to her naturally, such as _Aguamenti_ and _Aqua Eructo,_ which were water based spells. One that she found very useful was _Alohomora_ , an unlocking spell.

"What's in here?" she asked the librarian one day, stopping by a door that said 'Restricted.'

"Books that aren't for your eyes dear. Move along," the woman said, shooing her away. Aurora glanced back at the door, but did as she was told.

 _(The Heartless aren't coming closer to the school for some reason, and none of the books I've seen said why. Maybe there's something in the restricted area? Besides, I think the Star Shard bought me here as part of my mission to help Riku and Sora. Maybe… maybe there's something about dream visions in that area? Plus… who was that last Keyblade Wielder who came here? Ooohh… so many questions and no answers…)_ she thought to herself, resolving to come back tonight.

…

Aurora slipped through the darkened halls of the castle, careful to not be spotted. She knew this was wrong, but she needed her answers. And the more time she spent here, the more worried she grew for Sora and Riku.

" _Alohomora,"_ she breathed, brushing her fingers over the library's doorknob. There was a soft click, and the door unlocked. She carefully moved among the books, until she reached the door she had seen earlier. Using the same spell, she entered the room.

"Let's see…" she breathed, moving among the books. "Should I look under K for Keyblade?"

She didn't even make it to K before she heard a loud click, and the _creeeeaaaak_ of the old doors she had just come through. She dove behind the shelves, into the shadows, and hid.

Warmth brushed over her, so she knew she wasn't facing an enemy. _(Even worse. What will they do if a professor, or that caretaker, finds me here? I'm not even a real student…)_ she thought. She had heard some nasty stories about the Potions Master, Snape.

Peeking out from the shadows, she saw something that nearly made her gasp. It was a _disembodied hand,_ floating through the air, carrying a lantern.

It floated along one of the shelves, and suddenly, she heard a voice whispering a few of the titles. "Flamel… Nicholas Flamel…" The lantern stopped, and suddenly, as though pulling away a curtain, a young boy, with messy black hair and glasses, appeared, attached to the arm. He was looking at the titles, before putting his lantern down and pulling a book from the shelf, opening it.

All of a sudden, the book began to scream, and a face seemed to force its way through the pages.

Aurora jumped at the sudden noise as the boy forced the book closed and quickly put it back on the shelf.

"Over there!" a voice suddenly echoed from the entrance of the library. Both the boy and Aurora looked up, before Aurora dove forward, grabbing the boy's arm and dragging him into the shadows with her.

"Come on!" she hissed.

"Whoa! Wait, my cloak!" the boy gasped. Aurora froze, looking back at the silky material, before looking up towards the sound of the voices.

"Is that how you were invisible?" she asked softly. The boy nodded. Aurora stretched her left hand towards the material.

" _Accio Cloak!"_ she hissed. It flew towards them, knocking over the boy's lantern, and covered the two of them. Aurora winced as she heard the lantern shatter, but the two worked together to make it to the entrance.

"Wait!" Aurora hissed, grabbing the boy's shoulder as she felt a slightly chilly breeze wash over her.

"I know you're in here!" the old caretaker's voice called as light appeared from behind one of the shelves. "You can't hide."

The man rounded the corner, holding up a lantern of his own, looking around.

"Quit it! Show yourself!" he demanded, inching forward. Aurora and the boy slowly and carefully moved to the side, out of the man's way, each hardly daring to breath.

The man slowly moved past them, looking this way and that.

Once sure he was past, they worked together towards the entrance to the library, carefully opening the door and slipping out.

"Wait!" Aurora breathed as the boy went to step forward. Sitting in front of them was a cat, looking directly at them. It meowed as they backed up, padding forward. Aurora and the boy quickly turned, moving in the opposite direction. As they went to round the corner, coldness washed over Aurora. Just around the corner, a man in billowing black robes, with greasy black hair, slammed another, slimmer man in a purple turban into the wall.

"Please Serveus, I… I-I," purple turban, who Aurora recognized as Professor Quirrell, stammered.

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirinus," the other man, Professor Snape, said in a dangerously low voice. Aurora and the boy carefully moved around the two of them, trying to get to the other side so that they could get away.

"W-w-what do you mean," the man stammered.

"You know what I mean," Snape said. The boy's breathing picked up, becoming audible and causing Snape to look over, looking directly at them. Aurora put a hand over his mouth, carefully pulling them backwards. Just in time, too, as Snape reached for them, only to grab at thin air. The boy looked up at her and nodded, and Aurora let go of his mouth, dropping her hand to his shoulder. The watched, though, as the greasy haired professor whirled on the nervous one.

"We'll have another little chat soon," he said softly. "When you've had time to decide where your loyalties lie."

Just then, the caretaker rounded the corner.

"Ah, professors," he said. Snape quickly let go of Quirrell as the caretaker held up the busted lamp.

"I found this. In the Restricted Section." The two professor's stared at him as he spoke, as though he was crazy. "It's still hot. That means there's a student out of bed." Urgency overtook the professors, and all three rushed away.

 _(Or two,)_ Aurora thought with a small smile. Once sure the professors had gone, the two slipped into the door that was at the end of their hall, before pulling the cloak off.

"Whew," Aurora muttered.

"That was close," the boy said, before looking up at her.

"Too close," Aurora agreed, before smiling at him. "The name's Aurora, by the way. You?"

"Harry," The boy seemed surprised for a moment, then smiled back. "What were you doing in there?" he asked. Aurora hesitated for a moment.

"Looking for any info on those creatures at the edge of the woods. You?"

The boy seemed just as guarded, before sighing. "Looking up Nicholas Flamel," he admitted. "Have… you heard of him?" he asked hopefully. Aurora smiled at that.

 _(Probably hoping, as such an older student, that I have, but…)_ "Sorry," she said. Harry shrugged.

"It's fine," he sighed, before looking around. "Now where are…" he trailed off as he spotted a mirror. Aurora looked up, surprised to see it as well.

"What's that…?" she muttered curiously. The two moved closer to it, and Aurora looked up.

"'Erised stra ehru oy tube cafru oyt on woshi'," she muttered, reading it. Something tickled at the back of her mind, like she should know what it meant, but she couldn't make heads nor tails of it for now.

Instead, she turned her attention to the looking glass itself. The first thing she noticed that, although Harry stood beside her in real life, the mirror did not show him. She shot him a quick glanced, but he seemed focused on the mirror. So, she turned her attention back to it.

Suddenly, it changed slightly. Phoenix stood by her side, looking proud. She was wearing the teal skirt-suit she wore in court, and the background itself had changed into the courtroom she had just won her second case in. She was defending someone. A small, sad smile crossed her face.

 _(That's me. Defending in court. Just as I always wanted…)_ she thought. _(Is that what this mirror shows us? What we want? But then… why isn't Riku-?)_

As though reading her thoughts, the scene in the mirror changed. She was dressed as she was now. Phoenix was gone, but Riku stood beside her. Even the background had changed to that of Destiny Islands. Riku smiled warmly at her, placing an arm around her shoulders.

 _(I get it now. This mirror shows what we_ most _want. What we desire. But…)_

Pain filled Aurora's heart. She knew, eventually, she would have to choose between Riku and being a Defense Attorney. She tried not to think about it, but his mirror was here, showing her the two things she most wanted, but no way to bring them together.

She backed away, shaking her head.

"Mum…?" Harry suddenly said in a soft voice. Aurora wrenched her attention away from the mirror to look at the boy. He was looking up at the mirror in disbelief. "Dad…"

He reached forward, brushing his fingers against the glass. That's when Aurora recognized the pain in his voice with those two small words.

 _(He… he lost his parents. Just like I had lost Edym…)_ she thought sadly.

"I need to show this to Ron!" Harry suddenly gasped, lurching back from the mirror and turning to Aurora.

"We should get back to our dorms," Aurora said. Harry hesitated for a moment, before nodding.

"I'll take you back," he said, throwing the cloak over the two of them.

…

Aurora couldn't get that vision out of her head. She knew the mirror didn't tell the future. If it did, it wouldn't have shown Harry his parents.

 _(So… what does it show?_ ) she wondered to herself. _(And what were Snape and Quirrell 'discussing'?)_

…

A few days later, the students returned from break. Many asked Aurora about where she came from, but didn't pry too much. Classes began again, and it was all Aurora could do to bluff her way through some of them. _(It's a good thing I studied all break…_ ) she thought to herself.

During her free time, she would fight the Heartless in the forest. But she was beginning to grow antsy.

 _(Why did the Star Shard bring me here. What is it that I'm supposed to do for these people?)_

When alone, she sometimes pulled the Shard from her bag, begging it to take her to Riku and Sora.

But nothing happened.

It didn't help that she began to have dreams about those twenty paths again. Each time, the same path would splinter and break, becoming over run with darkness.

Now, she found herself in the library once more.

"I had you looking in the wrong section. How could I be so stupid!?" a voice suddenly said. Aurora glanced up, only to spot Harry and his friends. The girl, with brown hair, suddenly slammed a large book down on the table in front of Harry.

"I checked it out weeks ago for a bit of light reading," she said, sitting across from Harry.

"This. Is light?" the ginger next to Harry said. Aurora stood, walking over to put a book away on the shelf behind the girl, who threw a dirty look at the ginger as she flipped through the book.

"Ah! Of course! Here it is! 'Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher Stone!'" she read.

"The what?" Harry and Ron both asked. Aurora glanced over the girl's shoulder at her book, and nearly dropped the stack she was holding.

' _Flamel is also said to have fought dark creatures with yellow eyes alongside a mysterious figure who wielded a Key-shaped sword.'_

The words jumped off the page at her.

"Honestly, don't you two read?" the girl demanded. "'The Philosopher Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers. It can transform any matter into pure gold, act as a weapon of light against the forces of darkness, and produce the elixir of life, which will make the drinker immortal."

 _(Act as a weapon of light against the forces of darkness…? Like… like a Keyblade? Wait! What if that's what the Heartless want!? They're attracted to the Keyblade… so why not this stone? But then, what's keeping them back?)_

"Immortal?" the ginger asked.

"It means you'll never die," the girl said.

"I know what it means!" the ginger said hotly. Harry shushed him.

"'The only stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel, a noted alchemist, who last year celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday.'" The girl looked up. " _That's_ what Fluffy's guarding on the third floor. _That's_ what's under the trap door. The Philosopher's Stone."

The boys looked at each other in horror. Aurora couldn't take it anymore. She moved closer and sat next to them.

"Are you guys going to go after it?" she asked.

"WHOA!" the three jumped in surprise.

"Who are you?" the ginger demanded.

"Aurora!" Harry gasped.

"I couldn't help but overhear. But the Philosopher's Stone. I think that's what is attracting those Dark Creatures. So, are you going to go after it?" she asked.

"I don't know. We need to talk to Hagrid first," Harry admitted. Aurora nodded with a smile.

"Then count me in."

…

That night found three first years and a seventh rushing across the grounds towards the small hut. Aurora kept a sharp eye out for any of the Heartless as they neared the trees but none appeared.

Harry was the one to knock.

"Hagrid!" he said once the giant opened the door.

"Oh, hello," the man said. "Sorry, don't mean to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today," he said, closing the door again.

"We know about the Philosopher's Stone!" all four of them said in unison. Hagrid opened the door once more.

"Oh." He walked in, letting the four of them enter.

"We think Snape's trying to steal it," Harry began.

"Snape?" Hagrid asked as he walked over to the fire. "Common, yer no' still goin' on 'bout him, are ya?" he asked as the four of them shedded their scarves and outer cloaks.

"Hagrid! We know he's after the stone, we just don't know why!" Harry pressed.

"There is a darkness in his heart. That might be reason enough," Aurora said.

"Snape is one of the teachers protecting the stone!" Hagrid argued, turning to face the four of them. "He's not about to steal it."

The four looked at each other in confusion.

"What?" Ron asked.

"You heard," Hagrid said. "Right, common now, I'm preoccupied today," he said, trying once again to get rid of them.

"Wait a minute. One of the teachers?" Hermione asked.

"That means a few of them are then," Aurora added. "Which means there are _other_ things guarding the stone then! Aren't there?" she asked, looking up at Hagrid.

"Spells! Enchantments!" Hermione added.

"That's right," Hagrid said. "Waste of bloody time if yah ask me. Ain't no one gonna ge' pas' Fluffy. Ain't a soul knows how! 'Cept for me and Dumbledore!" His face fell. "I… shouldn'ta tol' ya that," he muttered.

A sudden rattle from the hearth caught their attention. Hagrid quickly turned, reaching into a pot and pulling a large, black egg out.

"Ow, oh!" he muttered, quickly carrying it over to the table. The four kids stood, following after him curiously.

"Uh, Hagrid, what exactly is that?" Harry asked.

"That? That's uh… It's um…"

"I know what that is!" Ron suddenly said excitedly, before looking up at their friend. "But Hagrid… how did you get one?" he asked.

"I won it!" Hagrid said. "From a stranger I me' down at the pub," he said. "Seemed quite gla' to get rid of it, as a matter o' fact," he added thoughtfully, watching as the egg rocked and twitched from side to side. Ron leaned back quickly, with Harry following his lead. Aurora watched curiously from a safe distance where she sat next to Hermione.

Egg pieces suddenly exploded from it. And in the center, was a tiny winged lizard.

It turned to look around at all the people, slipping slightly on egg shells, and letting out high pitched, irritated squeaks.

"A dragon…" Aurora gasped in amazement, her eyes lighting up.

"That's not just a dragon," Ron began. "That's a Norwegian Ridgeback. My brother Charlie works with these in Romania…"

"Ain't 'e beautiful?" Hagrid asked, sounding like he was about to cry. The dragon baby turned to him. "Oh bless 'im look! He already knows his mummy! 'ello, Norbert!" he fondled the dragon under his neck, which Norbert seemed to enjoy.

"Norbert?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, well, he's gotta have a name, don't 'e?" Hagrid said, while Ron snickered.

Aurora suddenly remembered something, which knocked all the amazement out of her.

"Er, Hagrid… aren't they illegal to have as pets?" she asked. Ron nodded, just as the little dragon hiccupped fire, setting Hagrid's beard on fire.

" _Aqua Eructo!_ " Aurora said, pointing with her left hand at the man. A clear jet of water shot from her un-activated shield and splashed Hagrid in the face, putting the flames out.

"Er, thanks," he muttered. Aurora nodded, before suddenly getting a small chill. Hagrid suddenly looked up at the window, before narrowing his eyes.

"Who's that?" he asked. The group turned towards the window in time to see a pale faced, pale blond boy looking in. He suddenly took off.

"Malfoy," Harry said.

"Oh dear…" Hagrid muttered.

…

The four quickly returned to the castle.

"Hagrid always wanted a dragon," Harry was telling them. "Told me so the first time I ever met him."

"He's crazy," Ron replied.

"And it's kind of illegal," Aurora added, having read all the law books she could get her hands on her first few days in the castle. Old habits die hard…

"And worse, Malfoy knows," Ron added.

"I don't understand, is that bad?" Hermione asked.

"It's bad," Ron, who had been looking forward, said. The other three turned forward as well, only to find themselves face to face with one of the scarier (yet lighter) professors.

Professor McGonagall.

"Good evening," she said to the four, looking mad. Malfoy, who Aurora had never met before, stepped out from behind her and smirked at the four.

They were quickly whisked away to an unused classroom. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood before the desk McGonagall was at, while Malfoy stood to the side. Aurora stood to the other side, listening quietly.

"Nothing – I repeat – nothing, gives a student the right to walk about the school at night," the teacher began. "Therefore, as punishment for your actions, fifty points will be taken."

"Fifty!?" Harry demanded in outrage, while Ron and Hermione's faces were horrified masks.

"Each," the Professor added, while Draco looked over with a smug expression.

"And to ensure it doesn't happen again, all five of you will receive detention."

Malfoy's expression dropped, and he stepped forward.

"Excuse me, Professor, perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said, the five of us."

"No, you heard me correctly, Mr. Malfoy. As honorable as your intentions were, you too, were out of bed after hours," McGonagall said. Harry turned to look at the blond with a smirk of his own. "You will join your classmates in detention."

Malfoy turned to glare at the four of them, and even Aurora couldn't help but grin at the smug boy being knocked down a few pegs.

"Now, I want you four to step outside while I talk to Miss. Wright," the professor said. The four first years trudge out of the room, and Aurora turned to the woman.

"Professor, I'm sorry. I overheard them talking about going down there, and—" she cut off as the woman held up a hand.

"I understand your position here, Miss. Wright."

"Um… you do?" Aurora asked in confusion.

"You have just transferred here, and Mr. Potter and his friends are the first you've made here. But as a seventh year, I expected to you know better," McGonagall said. Aurora sighed softly.

"Yes, ma'am. I just… wanted to make sure they'd be safe from the creatures in the woods. I know how to fight them," Aurora explained. McGonagall's face softened, ever so slightly.

"Well, it's a good thing they'll have you there for their detention then," she said.

…

Detention, apparently, consisted of Hagrid taking the five of them into the forest. The caretaker took them down to the hut. Hagrid came out, picking up a crossbow, sniffling.

"Aw, yer not still on about that bloody dragon, are yah?" the caretaker demanded.

"Norbert's gone," Hagrid told them. "Dumbledore sent him off to Romania. To live in a colony."

"Well that's good, isn't it?" Hermione asked. "He'll be with his own kind…"

"Yeah, but wha' if he don' like Romania?" Hagrid demanded. "Wha' if the other dragons are mean to him? He's only a baby after all…"

"Oh for god's sake, pull yer self together man. Yer going into the forest after all! Got to have yer wits about you…" the caretaker snapped. Aurora shook her head slightly.

 _(I get the feeling Hagrid has some… unresolved issues with 'his own kind…')_ she thought, looking up at the man who really, in her eyes, could be a giant.

"The forest!?" Malfoy suddenly asked. "I thought that was a joke!"

Aurora leaned closer to the blond. "I get the feeling… he doesn't joke," she said, grinning when Malfoy threw her a dirty look.

"But we can't go in there!" the boy protested. "Students aren't allowed! And there are—" he hesitated, only to hear a howl from inside the trees. "—Werewolves!"

"Are more than werewolves in those trees, lad," the caretaker said with a smirk at the boy. "You'll be sure of that." The first years looked between him and the woods. "Nighty-night," he said, walking back to the forest. Aurora took a deep breath, studying the forest. She'd been among those trees, but not as deep as it sounded like they were going tonight.

"Right," Hagrid said. "Let's go." He lead the group into the forest, carrying a lantern, his bloodhound, Fang, pacing at his heel. Aurora took the rear of the group, activating her shield.

" _Lumos,_ " she whispered, and the center of her shield lit up, providing the group another light. Hagrid nodded his thanks.

After a little longer, Hagrid came to a stop, kneeling down and dipping his fingers into a silver liquid substance, studying it.

"Hagrid," Harry asked, sounding a little breathless. "What is that?"

"What we're here for," Hagrid said. "See that?" he held up his fingers, which were coated in the silver stuff. "That's unicorn blood, that is. I foun' one dead a few weeks ago. Then, this one's been hur' badly by somet'ing."

The group began to look around. Aurora knew it wasn't the Heartless that did this; they would have stolen the heart and been done. No, this was something dark from this world. A chill slithered its way down Aurora's back.

"So, it's our job to go an' find the poor beast," he explained. Ron, Hermione, ye'll come with me.

"Okay," Ron squeaked.

"And Harry, Aurora, you'll go with Malfoy."

Harry glanced over at the blonds before nodding.

"Got it," Aurora said seriously.

"Okay, then I get Fang!" Malfoy demanded.

"Fine," Hagrid said. "Just so you know, he's a bloody coward." Malfoy's face dropped at that, and the trio looked over at the bloodhound as he whined.

"Wait until my father hears about this!" Malfoy ranted as he, Harry, Aurora, and Fang moved through the forest, following a trail of silver blood. Aurora was keeping her senses sharp, both natural and supernatural. "This is _servant_ stuff!"

"If I didn't know better, Draco, I'd say you were scared," Harry pointed out. Aurora smiled slightly at that.

"I'm not scared, _Potter_ ," the boy snapped.

A chill shot down Aurora's back.

"Get down!" she yelled, diving forward and shoving the boys down face first, just as a NeoShadow jumped at them.

Malfoy screamed.

"What are these!?" Harry demanded, sitting up and gripping his wand.

"Heartless," Aurora said. Another four jumped at the three of them, and she held her arm up, shield facing the sky.

" _REFLEGA!"_ she yelled. A crystal dome erupted from her shield, covering them. The four Heartless slammed into the shield, then reeled back as it exploded.

" _Flipendo!"_ Harry shouted, pointing his wand at the Heartless. In a flash of blue, the one that jumped at him was shot backwards, slamming into the others. Between Aurora's multitude of spells, and Harry's and Draco's _Flipendos_ , they managed to get rid of them.

For now.

"Come on," Aurora said, leading the way, using _Lumos_ on her shield again.

A few minutes later, Malfoy began to mutter about his father again. Aurora clenched her teeth, trying to resist every urge to smack the boy.

Suddenly, Aurora felt an icy wind brush over her skin. Fang stopped, growling at something, prompting the others to stop too.

Harry was so busy looking down at the dog, that he didn't see what Aurora and Malfoy did.

A black, cloaked figure, was crouched over a dead unicorn, it's head against its neck.

 _(A unicorn vampire…?_ ) Aurora thought weakly.

"Ah!" Harry suddenly gasped. Aurora quickly looked over to see the boy pressing his hand against his forehead, his features etched in pain.

The robed figure looked up at them and growled.

Malfoy screamed and turned taking off running, Fang just behind him. Harry and Aurora looked after them, before Aurora grabbed Harry's arm.

"Come on, we've got to go!" she yelled. But Harry was rooted to the spot.

It wasn't until the thing rose fully and began making its way towards them that Harry began to back up. Aurora planted herself firmly between him and it, raising her shield, while Malfoy continued to run around behind them, screaming.

Harry tripped over a root. Aurora scowled at the cloaked figure. It rose its hand towards her, and flicked his hand to the side, sending her flying. She screamed as she rocketed through the air, only for something firm and warm to catch her in a pair of strong arms.

"HARRY!" she screamed. Something else galloped past her and jumped over the fallen boy. It hit the ground next to the cloaked figure, and Aurora got a clear look at it.

"A centaur?" she gasped, before twisting her head to see what was holding her. A dark furred face met her, and the man put her on her feet. She turned, realizing that he too, was a centaur.

"Thank you," she said.

"You are welcome, miss. But you must take Harry Potter and leave. It is not safe for him here. Between the creature you just faced, or the ones that attacked you earlier," the centaur said. Aurora hesitated, before nodding.

"Right."

"You did a brave thing, attempting to protect him," the creature added. She turned to look at the boy, who was talking to the other centaur.

"He's my friend," she said simply.

Fang's bark suddenly brought all of their attention to a high cropping of trees, where Fang, Hagrid, Malfoy, Hermione, and Ron appeared.

"Harry! Aurora!" Hermione called.

"'ello there, friends," Hagrid greeted the Centaurs. "I see you've met our youn' Harry Potter and Aurora Wright. Alright there, you two?" Hagrid asked. Harry and Aurora nodded.

"This is where we say our goodbyes," the centaur said to Aurora. "Mr. Potter is safe now. But I sense your journey to be a long, hard one." Aurora quickly turned to face the creature. "Good luck."

"Thank you," Aurora said softly, watching as his friend joined him, and those two walked away.

…

As they returned to the castle, Aurora was called to Dumbledore's office. The three Gryffindors bid her good night and continued on their way. Malfoy ignored her as he walked towards the dungeons.

"How is the Heartless situation?" Dumbledore asked once she was settled in his office.

"They fear to leave the forest, but… I think there's something in the school that they seek. Sir… is it true that the Philospher's Stone can act as a weapon of light?" Aurora asked. Dumbledore turned to her, surprised and amused.

"Well, yes, it can," he said.

"Then that's what they're after. And there is someone in this school who—" she cut off as there was a knock on the door. It opened to reveal Professor Quirrell. Aurora gasped softly.

Before, his heart had always felt… just a little chilly.

But tonight, it was like an icy wind was brushing over her skin. She recognized this feeling instantly.

"You…" she breathed. The man looked at her sharply and suddenly, she blinked.

"Miss. Wright? What were you saying?" Dumbledore asked. Aurora blinked her eyes a few more times, before looking up at the Headmaster.

"Ah, I'm sorry, sir. I'm… tired. And seeing Professor Quirrell reminded me I have to finish my paper for his class. May I… be excused?" she asked. Dumbledore nodded, and Aurora hurried out.

It wasn't until three floors later that she realized something.

 _(I don't have a paper due for Defense Against the Dark Arts! What did he do to me!?)_

…

"I always heard that end of the year exams at Hogwarts were frightful!" Hermione was saying as Aurora caught up with them in the courtyard, a few days after the forest. "But I found they were rather enjoyable."

"Speak for yourself," Ron grumbled, before noticing the way Harry had his head in his hands. "Alright there, Harry?"

"My scar. It keeps burning," Harry muttered.

"Guys! I think we had it wrong. It's not—" Aurora cut off as the three turned to look at her.

"It's not… what?" Ron asked.

"I… I don't know!" Aurora stomped her foot in frustration. "I feel like… there's something we should know. But anytime I go to tell someone, or write it down… my brain switches tracks." Aurora sighed. Meanwhile, Harry frowned, rubbing at his head.

"Hey, maybe you should see the nurse about your scar," Aurora said worriedly.

"No… I think it's a warning. I think it means danger is coming," Harry said as they exited the court yard, into the grounds. Flute music drifted across the grass to them, coming from Hagrid's hut.

"Oh… of course," Harry gasped, taking off across the grounds.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd, the one thing Hagrid wants more than anything is a Dragon's Egg, and a stranger turns up that just happens to have one?" Harry demanded, looking between the three. "I mean, how many people wonder around with Dragon Eggs in their pocket? Especially since they're illegal, as you said, Aurora."

"That is odd…" Aurora muttered.

"Why didn't I see it before!?" Harry demanded.

The four ran the rest of the way, until they reached the small hut.

"Hagrid! Who gave you the Dragon Egg?" Harry demanded, cutting Hagrid's song off. "What did he look like?

"Dunno," Hagrid admitted. "Never saw his face. He kept his hood up."

"It is strange though," Harry pressed. "You and he must have talked."

"Well… he wanted to know wha' sorta creatures I looked after… I told him, I said, after Fluffy, a dragon's gonna be no problem," Hagrid said, laughter in his voice. Aurora's eyes widened at that.

"Did he seem interested in Fluffy?" she asked. Hagrid looked at her for a moment.

"Well of _course_ he was interested in Fluffy!" Hagrid replied. "How often do you come across a three headed dog? Even if yer in the trade?" Hagrid grinned. "Bu' I told him, I said, the trick with _any_ beast is to know how to calm it!" he flourished his flute as he spoke. "Take Fluffy for example! Just play him a bit o' music, and he falls straight to sleep!"

The four glanced at each other in horror. Hagrid's face dropped.

"I shouldn'ta told you that…" he muttered.

Aurora reached forward and took the flute from Hagrid's hand, following after the other three as they took off across the grounds, back to the school.

"Where are you going!?" Hagrid called after them.

All four ran as hard and fast as they could until they reached the classroom where McGonagall was, running straight to her desk.

"We have to see Professor Dumbledore! Immediately!" Harry cried.

"I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore's not here," McGonagall said, looking between the three frantic first years and Aurora. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and left immediately for London," she explained.

"He's gone!? But this is important!" Harry said. "This is about-!" Aurora covered his mouth before he could say anything.

"Look, Professor. I'm sorry for the disturbance. It can wait," she quickly said, before pulling a struggling Harry out of the classroom, the other two following her.

Harry pushed away from the girl. "Why did you stop me!?" he demanded. Aurora, who was significantly taller then the three kids, crouched to their height.

"Look, obviously the professors don't want us to know. It wouldn't be a secret if they did. McGonagall wouldn't believe us anyway, not if we don't _tattle_ on Hagrid," she explained. "Besides, someone… I'm pretty sure someone put a spell on me. I'm pretty sure I figured _something_ out about the thief, but every time I try to tell someone, it goes away. I don't know who, or what, or how," Aurora explained. The three glanced at each other, before nodding.

"Alright. Then that owl… it had to be Snape. Which means, he knows how to get past Fluffy," Harry said.

"And with Dumbledore gone—" Hermione began.

"Good afternoon," someone suddenly said from behind the group. Aurora stood straight up as they turned to face Professor Snape. "Now what would three young Gryffindors and an older Ravenclaw such as yourselves be doing inside, on a day like this?" the man asked, his eyes flickering between the four, his lips never moving.

"U-uh… we… we were just…" Hermione began.

"You need to be careful," Snape cut her off. "People will think you're…" he trailed off, seeming almost surprised at the intense look Harry was giving him. "…up to something…" The man looked between the four of them once more, before turning and stalking off, his long cloak billowing behind him. Aurora bit her lip as she watched after him.

 _(He's dark, but… not as dark as the being that was in the forest that night…)_ she thought to herself. She turned to her friends, ready to tell them this, but all three were glaring after the man. She knew they would never listen.

"Now what do we do?" Hermione hissed.

"We go down the trap door," Harry said, before looking at his friends. "Tonight."

…

Aurora made it to the third floor corridor first. She stayed to the shadows, keeping out of sight, and nervously fingering the flute that was inside her side bag. For this adventure, she had changed back into her regular clothes, wanting the extra mobility. After all, they had no idea what laid beyond the trap door.

Aurora wanted to be ready for anything.

Suddenly, a disembodied hand, holding a wand appeared out of thin air.

" _Alohomora!_ " came Hermione's whispered voice. The door unlocked and opened, and Aurora slipped in behind the three hiding under the Invisibility Cloak.

Inside, a harp was playing a beautiful tune, accompanied by the snoring of a rather large dog. Aurora sighed softly as the trio appeared

"Looks like we didn't need the flute after all," she hissed softly. The others nodded in agreement, and all four crept forward carefully.

"Snape's already been here," Harry said, looking at the harp. "He's put a spell on the harp.

"Ugh… he's got horrible breath," Ron complained as they moved closer.

"There!" Aurora said, pointing to the trap door.

"We have to move it's paw," Harry said. Before they could make another move, however, the harp stopped. Aurora was the only one to notice, just as Fluffy's eyes, all six of them, snapped open.

She immediately brought the flute to her lips and began playing a soft melody, making the dog fall asleep again. The trio looked back at her, and she tipped her head to the harp, before looking down at the paw.

"Right," Harry said, as the three of them carefully pushed it, moving it away from the trap door. Hermione opened the door, and all four of them looked down into it.

Nothing but black.

"I'll go first," Harry said. "Don't follow me until I give you a sign. If something bad happens, get. Yourselves. Out."

 _(As the oldest, I should go first, but I'm keeping the dog asleep…)_ Aurora thought guiltily, looking to where the three headed monstrosity snored. She glanced back at the hole again, and suddenly, vertigo overtook her. She swayed, pulling the flute away from her lips.

"Aurora?" Hermione asked.

"I'm fine… I just… heights… and…" she muttered.

Suddenly, from above them, came growling. All four looked up in horror.

"JUMP!" Harry yelled, going forward. Ron was right behind him, while Hermione pushed Aurora in, following right behind her. The three heads barked and growled, attempting to catch them, but where unsuccessful.

Instead, they fell into a pile of vines.

"Whoa… lucky this plant thing was here, really," Ron said, before looking over at Aurora. "Where'd you learn that, by the way?" he asked, motioning to the flute she still held.

"My mom's a music teach—WHOA!" she gasped, seeing the vines behind Ron move.

It wasn't just behind him. Suddenly, all the vines were. One wrapped tightly around Harry's legs, while another grabbed Aurora's wrist. She struggled against it as the vines continued to wrap tightly around her, trapping her effectively.

"Stop moving! All of you!" Hermione suddenly called. "This is Devil's Snare. You have to relax. If you don't, it'll only kill you faster."

"Kill us faster!?" Ron exploded. "Oh, _now_ I can relax!"

Aurora agreed, and soon, those two were thrashing wildly against the vines.

Suddenly, Hermione was sucked down into the vines, disappearing.

"Hermione!" they cried.

"Now what are we going to do!?" Ron demanded.

"Just relax!" Hermione's voice yelled from underneath them.

"Hermione, where are you?" Harry called.

"Do what I say! Trust me!"

Harry stopped struggling, only to be dragged underneath as well. Ron screamed.

"Harry!" Aurora cried, before kicking out at the vines. She struggled to activate her shield, trying to use the sharp edge to slash at the vines. Meanwhile, Ron struggled harder, unable to reach his wand.

"Help!" Ron cried.

"Don't worry, Ron! I'll-!" Aurora cut off as a vine wrapped around her mouth, pulling her head back.

Ron continued to cry out while the two struggled, until it wrapped around his mouth too. Suddenly, blinding flashlight shone up from beneath the vines, making them recede quickly. Ron and Aurora dropped through, hitting the ground like potato sacks. Harry and Hermione kneeled in front of them.

"Ron, Aurora are you okay?" Harry asked. Aurora was panting, her eyes wide.

"Y-yeah…" she gasped, letting Hermione help her up, while Harry helped Ron.

"Whew!" Ron said, looking up at the vines. "Lucky we didn't panic," he said, only to feel three pairs of eyes on him.

"Lucky Hermione pays attention in Herbology," Harry corrected.

Suddenly, the sound of fluttering caught their attention.

"What is that?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," Harry said. "But it sounds like wings…"

The four of them moved on, entering a chamber. Inside, over their heads, were hundreds of flying _things._

"Curious," Hermione said. "I've never seen birds like these."

"They're not birds. They're _keys_ ," Harry said. "And I bet one of them fits that door." He started to led them over to the door he was talking about. Aurora made it there first and studied the lock.

"It's old, so you'll need an old key," she said. A few feet from the door was an old broomstick, where the trio had stopped.

"What's this all about?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," Harry said.

Ron pulled his wand out and walked over to the door, attempted _Alohomora_. It was no use. Aurora turned to the keys and held up her left arm.

" _Accio Key!"_ she called. Again, nothing happened.

"Worth a try…" Ron said.

"Ugh! What are we going to do! There must be hundreds up there!" she said. They all looked up, watching the keys flutter around.

Suddenly, Harry pointed up. "There! I see it! The one with the broken wing!" he said, before looking down at the broom.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"It's too simple," the boy said.

"He's right," Aurora suddenly realized. Her words were ignored.

"Oh, go on, Harry!" Ron said. "If Snape could catch it on that old broomstick, then you can! You're the youngest Seeker in a century!"

Harry hesitated a moment longer, then nodded and grabbed the broom. Almost immediately, the keys went on the attack, dive bombing and swarming him. Harry quickly got on the broom, swatting at them as he lifted into the hair.

"This complicates things a bit…" Ron said. Aurora held her hand towards the boy.

" _Aero!"_ she cried. A small whirlwind appeared around Harry, protecting him long enough for the boy to get into the air and re-find the key with the broken wing. He spotted it as the spell wore off, and he was now too high for Aurora to recast it.

Harry surged forward, the keys falling just behind him, the one with the broken wing darting away. He chased after it for a few minutes before he managed to grab it.

"Catch the key!" he yelled, diving down and throwing it to Hermione. She managed to, shoving it into the keyhole and opening the door while Harry led the other keys around the room. They got the door open and held it for Harry to get through, before slamming it closed, wincing at the thuds from the other side.

In the new room, it was eerily quiet. Statues stood all around them.

"I don't like this…" Hermione admitted. "I don't like this at all…"

The four carefully moved forward.

"Where are we?" Harry asked.

"Looks like a graveyard," Hermione said.

"This is no graveyard," Ron suddenly said, looking around with wide eyes, walking forward. "It's a chess board."

The room lit up, showing his words to be true. Facing them were the white pieces, while they stood amongst the black. Nothing else happened as they looked around.

"There's the door!" Harry suddenly said, pointing to it. The four moved forward.

Before they could pass the white pawns, however, they came to life, unsheathed their swords and blocking their path. The group quickly backed up, and the pawns went back to their lifeless poses, swords sheathed.

"Now what do we do?" Hermione demanded.

"That… should be obvious," Aurora muttered. Ron nodded.

"We gotta play our way across the room!" He looked at them.

"Alright. Harry, you take the empty bishop square. Hermione, you'll be the Queen's side castle. Aurora, you take the empty pawn square. As for me," Ron lifted his head proudly. "I'll be a knight."

Hermione paced her square once they were in position, while Aurora tried to think over everything she remembered about this game.

"What happens now?" Hermione asked.

"Well, white moves first," Ron reminded them. "And then… we play."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, one of the white pawns slid forward two spaces. Ron studied the board for a few moments, until Hermione called his name.

"You don't suppose this is going to be like… real Wizard's Chess… do you?" she asked. Ron hesitated, before looking down at the Pawn in front of him.

"You there!" he yelled. "D5!"

The pawn moved forward, right into the path of the first white pawn that moved. The white one unsheathed its swords and slammed them into the black one, obliterating it. Aurora's eyes widened as she looked down that the line of pawns she was a part of.

"Y-yes Hermione… I think this is going to be… exactly like Wizard's Chess…"

"Ron… if you sacrifice me, I swear I'll come back and haunt you," Auroura said.

The game was hard. Ron, the best chess player out of all of them, did his best to keep the four of them out of danger, but he lost a lot of their other pieces, too.

Finally… it came down to just a few pieces. Harry studied the board, before his eyes widened.

"Wait a minute…" he gasped.

"You understand right, Harry," Ron said. "Once I make my move, the queen will take me. Then you're free, to check the king!"

"No! Ron, no!" Harry yelled. Understanding dawned on Aurora.

"What is it?" Hermione demanded.

"He's going to sacrifice himself!" Aurora said, before turning to the red head. "You can't! The pawns purpose is to be sacrificed. Use me instead!"

"No! To both of that! There must be another way!" Hermione yelled.

"Do you want to stop Snape from getting that stone or not!?" Ron demanded. He looked at Aurora. "I appreciate your gesture, but you're too far ahead. A pawn can't move backwards! It has to be me." He turned to his best friend. "Harry, it's you that has to go on. Not you, not Hermione, not Aurora… you."

The two stared at each other, until Harry finally nodded. Ron took a deep breath and looked forward. "Knight to H3!"

The knight piece he sat on moved agonizingly slow, until it was finally in place. "Check," Ron said.

The queen piece turned to face him, and moved forward. It picked up its sword and stabbed the horse. Ron screamed as he fell off, hitting the ground with a thud.

"RON!" Harry and Aurora screamed. Hermione, eyes wide, went to run to his side.

"Don't! Don't move!" Harry yelled, pointing at her. "Don't forget! We're still playing!"

Hermione took a step back, her eyes riveted on Ron's prone body. Harry looked forward, then took his move, stopping just before the King piece. "Check mate!"

The sword dropped from the King's hands, falling at Harry's feet.

The game was over.

All three ran to Ron.

"He's still breathing," Aurora sighed in relief. Harry nodded, looking up at the girls.

"Take care of Ron, then go to the Owlery and send a message to Dumbledore. He's right. I have to go on," Harry said.

"You'll be okay, Harry," Hermione said. "You're a great Wizard. You really are."

"Not as good as you," Harry said.

"Heh. Me. Books and cleverness. There are more important things," Hermione said. "Friendship. Bravery."

"Heart," Aurora added. "Harry, be careful. Whoever is beyond those doors… they're dark. Much darker then the likes of Draco Malfoy," she said. Harry looked between the girls, before nodding and standing, going through the doors. Aurora took a deep breath, looking down at Ron.

" _Cur—"_ she began, only for a blast of darkness to slam into her side, throwing her away from the two.

"Ow…" she groaned, pushing herself up.

"Aurora!"

Suddenly, a blizzard gust of wind swept over Aurora. A darkness she hadn't felt for a year chilled her skin. She looked up, and spotted a man, wearing a black, Organization XIII robe. A rapier, with a black blade and silver crosspiece, stood at the edge of the chessboard.

"Hermione! Get Ron out of here. Go!" Aurora screamed, lunging to her feet and activating her shield.

"But what about you? And Harry?" Hermione demanded.

"He's not interested in Harry. Please, just go!" Aurora cried. Hermione did as she asked, carefully dragging Ron out of the chamber.

"Those two are trapped down here, faced by traps they had to get through before, but this time, without you or Harry. Or even Ronald. Harry will die alone as he faces his greatest darkness of all. And Sora and Riku? They are forever trapped in the chains of sleep, never to awaken. You cannot help them. Any of them," the man said. Aurora ground her teeth together, narrowing her eyes.

"You… you're wrong. About all of it! And I'll prove it! _Baubillious!_ " Aurora yelled, pointing at the man. A bolt of light shot from the shield, but the man simply dodged it.

"If you will not accept your helplessness, then I will prove it to you," the man said, holding his hand up. Possessor Heartless surged from his palm – four total, and possessed the last four chess pieces that were unbroken – the two kings, and the two queens. Heartless symbols glowed to life on their chests, and the white king picked up his sword, all four turning to face Aurora.

"Oh no…" she breathed, only to notice that Black Coat had disappeared. She brought her shield up, backing away so that all four of the statues were in front of her.

Suddenly, the White Queen lunged at her, swinging her sword. Aurora rolled out of the way.

" _Baubillious!"_ she yelled. Light shot of her shield and struck the White Queen, but she only shook it off. Next was an attack from the Black King. Aurora casts _Reflega_ , making the sword bounce back, over his head. The crystal shield shattered, sending the Black King stumbling back, and his sword struck the White King's shoulder, causing _actual damage_.

"That's it!" Aurora gasped, rolling out of the way of another sword stroke. She smirked and ran forward, diving behind the Black Queen, holding her hand towards the White King.

" _ACCIO SWORD!"_ she yelled. The White King's sword flew out of his hand and towards her, point first. But because the Black Queen was in between it and Aurora, it struck the Black Queen straight through the chest. The chess pieced crumbled, and the Possessor Heartless flew out. " _Water!"_ she yelled. A gyser of water shot up and struck the Heartless, causing it to turn into dust. She then turned to the remaining three.

" _Aeroga!"_ Aurora cried, holding her hand in the hair. A tornado erupted around her, snatching up pieces of the Black Queen, including both her's and the White King's swords. She threw her hands forward, and the tornado left her, charging towards the three chess pieces. The flying debris struck the possessed statues. Suddenly, the White Queen crumbled, and Aurora finished off that Possessor Heartless as well, leaving just the two Kings.

"Let's end this," Aurora said with a grin. " _Hastra!"_ Gold light surrounded the girl, and a clock face appeared on her shield, the arms spinning faster and faster around it. Aurora shot forward, moving five times her normal speed, and weaving around the kings' legs. After a moment, they began to stab and slash at each other. Aurora jumped up onto the White King's chest, only for the Black King to stab there. Aurora bounced off just in time, right before the blade made contact.

The White King crumbled. Aurora dove at the Heartless, cloaking her shield with a _water_ spell and ramming into it. The final Chess Piece, the Black King, turned to face her.

"Heh. Check mate!" she said, using a combination of _Magnera_ and _Aeroga_ to fling chunks of the White King at him. Each piece hit, until finally, the last Possessor appeared, allowing her to take it out.

"Phew…" she breathed.

A sudden glow erupted from her bag. She deactivated her shield and reached inside, only to pull out the purple, glowing Star Shard.

As it enveloped her in light, she felt a large burst of frigid air burst from the direction Harry had went.

"No! HARRY!" she screamed, just as she was whisked away.

…

As she flew through the Lanes In Between, enveloped in the purple light, Aurora curled in on herself.

 _(Please… please don't let that darkness mean what I think it meant…)_ she silently pleaded, thinking back to the darkness that had flowed from the room Harry had been in. She hadn't been close enough to sense Harry himself, so she had no way of knowing if he survived or not.

…

 **A/N:** We all know Harry survived. But Aurora doesn't not. DUN DUN DUN!

This chapter takes place while Sora and Riku are in Traverse Town (the first time) As we all know, time flows differently from world to world. So she didn't miss TOO much time.

Also, the scene with the Mirror of Erised is _really_ important!


	3. Radiant Garden

**A/N:** Here we go with another chapter! But first…

After this, I'm not sure how often I can update. I'm in the last two months of school, and for this month, at least, I'm expected to write a script a week. A new, original idea. Yeah. Talk about a lot of creative power.

On top of that, I've already let you all know about my wrist. I have a wrist brace now, and thanks to RhythmicJustice for giving me this idea, I'll be getting a wrist rest next week when I get paid.

Plus, you know, work takes up my time. Ugh.

FINALLY! One of my professors got me into contact with one of his agents, who wants me to write a spec script for a supernatural mystery show! I'm doing _The Librarians_! What that means is that I write a script that I won't be paid for, for a new episode of an existing show, to prove that I _can_ write for television, and that I _can_ assimilate onto a show that's been on for a few seasons. This is like…a HUGE lunge forward in my career, and it might mean I can go write into working for television when I move to California in two months, as opposed to working a different job while I try to break in.

By now, you all are probably wondering why I'm even updating this thing. It's because I love it. *wraps arms around Aurora and pats the top of her head* I love it lots. And I love my readers on here. And I am SUPER excited for things that happen in this chapter and… well… the entirety of the next chapter.

Ahem. *let's go of a shaken looking Aurora* Not much else to say here. ONWARD!

…

Chapter Three: Radiant Garden

"See anything?" the tall brunet asked the shorter, black-haired woman next to him.

"Nope! Looks like we can finally relax, Leon! The Town's Defense System is doing a great job at keeping the Heartless out!" the woman said, bouncing slightly.

"Hmph," the brunet, Leon, grunted slightly, looking around. "Stay alert, just in case, Yuffie. A time of peace can make anyone complacent," the man warned.

"Oh, come on! Now you're just _looking_ —" Yuffie cut off as a bolt of light shot overhead, shooting directly towards Fountain Court. The two watched as it disappeared behind the buildings surrounding them, then jumped at the sound of a crash.

"Come on!" Leon said, taking off in that direction. Yuffie was right behind him.

What they found was the last thing they expected. Laying on the ground and groaning softly, smoke pouring off of her, was someone they never thought they'd see again.

"Aurora!?" Yuffie gasped, running over to the girl. Aurora slowly sat up, putting the Star Shard back in her bag and rubbing her head.

"Really need to work on those landings…" she muttered softly, only for a pair of arms to suddenly wrap around her. "Huh!?"

"It is you! Are you okay!? What happened!?" Yuffie demanded. Leon walked over to the two girls, noticing that Aurora seemed kind of upset.

"Yuffie," he said. The ninja looked up, before noticing the look on Aurora's eyes. She pulled back.

"Aurora?" she asked.

"Hey guys. Sorry," the young Defense Attorney said, taking a deep breath and smiling at them. "It's been a long time, huh?"

Leon and Yuffie glanced at each other, knowing what Aurora was doing, before Yuffie helped Aurora to her feet.

"Yeah, it has," Yuffie said, smiling back at the girl. "What happened? You just vanished all of a sudden."

"Back then? Well, I was kidnapped," Aurora began as the three started walking. Leon led the way back to Merlin's house. "After Sora and… and Edym fought." She shook her head. "The Organization held me with Kairi, until we escaped, and met back up with Sora and Riku. Then we beat the Organization… and I went home. In the year since then, I finished school and became a full-fledged Defense Attorney," Aurora explained.

"Congrats!" Yuffie said brightly. Aurora smiled.

"Thanks."

"But then, what are you doing here now?" Leon asked, looking over his shoulder at her. Aurora sighed softly.

"I'm looking for Riku and Sora," she admitted.

"Don't tell me they're missing!" Yuffie gasped.

"Er, no, I don't think so. Last I heard, they were taking their Mark of Mastery with Master Yen Sid. The thing is…" Aurora hesitated for a moment, before sighing. "The thing is, I had a dream. A vision. I think Riku's in danger," she explained. Leon nodded.

"So you want to warn him. But they're not here," Leon said. Aurora's shoulders slumped with a sigh.

"Right…" she said.

"Something else happened…" Yuffie suddenly said. Aurora looked up at her for a moment, before nodding to herself.

"I'm using a Star Shard to travel. Star Shards are said to take a person to where they're needed. This is the second world I've been to. The first… I think I failed."

"'Failed'?"

"I think I was supposed to protect this kid there, but I was attacked by someone who could control the Heartless. The kid went ahead, to stop someone from getting an extremely powerful stone, but… right before the Star Shard pulled me away, I felt darkness surge from the room he was in. I didn't sense him through… But if that Darkness escaped, then that _has_ to mean—"

"Not necessarily," Leon said, moving closer to stand just in front of the girl. She looked up at him.

"But it's the only logical explanation," Aurora said.

"Perhaps. But what does your heart say?" Leon asked. Aurora hesitated for a moment, looking up at Leon. He quirked an eyebrow at her. "In your heart, do you really believe that boy is dead?" he asked. Aurora looked down, then closed her eyes, focusing on her heart.

Like most people, Aurora's heart connected with those of her friends. Not nearly as strongly as it had with Riku, but she still had those connections. It was her connection with Harry that she focused on now.

There. It was faint, due to distance now, but there was a soft light, still glowing. She smiled warmly, and looked up at Leon.

"He's okay," she said, her voice flooded with relief. Leon nodded with a smile, before turning and entering Merlin's house.

"Hey guys! Look who we found!" Yuffie said, bouncing ahead of Leon and Aurora. Inside, Cid was perched at the computer, while Merlin stood in front of his bookshelf. Aerith, who was just putting a pot of food on the table, looked up.

"Aurora!" she said brightly, causing the men to turn around.

"Well, I'll be! It's just like Sora and the boys all over again," Cid said with a grin, flicking that stick that stuck out of his mouth.

"My dear girl, how have you been?" Merlin asked, coming over.

"Good. Thank you for _Spell Arts_. It was a lot of help," she said, reaching into her bag and pulling the book out. She held it towards the wizard, who shook his head with a laugh.

"Keep it, Aurora. You need it a lot more than I do," Merlin said with a smile. Aurora smiled back and put it back in her bag, before repeating her story to the others.

"That's quite a feat," Merlin said with a smile. "Law school in a year? Did your magic studies suffer?"

"Nope!" Aurora said with a warm smile. "In fact, I've learned magic that wasn't even in that book," she added, her smile turning coy.

"Oh, ho! Have you?" Merlin asked with a laugh. "I'd like to see this."

Aurora smiled and followed the old magician out of the house and into the repaired Bailey. "We train in here now. Anyone who wants to learn to fight is trained here," Merlin explained as Aurora looked around, noting the targets.

"Do you have a lot of people wanting to learn?" she asked.

"Yes, actually," Leon said, sitting to the side, curious as to how much Aurora had learned. "We've had a lot of people apply to the Restoration Committee."

"That's great!" Aurora said with a bright smile. Leon nodded.

"Alright, Aurora, let's see what you've learned," Merlin said. Aurora nodded and activated his shield.

Aurora turned to one of the targets.

" _Fumos!"_ she began. Dark grey smoke surrounded her, hiding her from view. " _Accio target!"_ One of the targets yanked off the wall and shot towards the cloud of dark smoke, disappearing into it.

" _Stupify!"_ a flash of red light lit up the smoke, and pieces of the target flew out of the smoke. Aurora followed them as the smoke began to dissipate, holding her hand over the pieces as they hit the ground. " _Reparo,"_ she said. The target put itself back together.

Still standing over the target, she swished her left arm over it, then flicked her wrist. " _Wingardium Leviosa!"_ she said. The target lifted into the air. " _Duro!"_ The wood of the target turned to stone. " _Everte Statum!"_ The stone target shot backwards, slamming into the wall. Aurora smirked, panting slightly.

 _(One more spell…)_ " _Expecto Patronum!"_ she yelled. Her shield flashed, and in front of her appeared a spirit-like animal made of light. The animal… was a porcupine. It weaved around her legs happily as Aurora put her hands on her knees, panting, her magic depleted.

"Wow," Leon said from where he sat, impressed. Even Merlin's eyes were a little wide.

"Why dear, where did you learn all of that?" he asked. Aurora looked up with a smile.

"The last world I went to. It was a school for witchcraft and wizardry. I—" Aurora cut off as her patronus suddenly jumped forward, standing in front of her protectively, it's quills raising dangerously.

Almost immediately, a chill swept over Aurora, darkness, and Heartless appeared. Leon was instantly on his feet, his Gunblade at the ready, while Aurora yanked an Elixir from her bag and drank it, replenishing her magical energy.

"My word, how did they get this far into town?" Merlin gasped.

"Tron and Cid said the town's defense system couldn't keep them out forever. It was draining on the Radiant Garden's Operating System needed for other vital town functions," Leon said. Suddenly, the Porcupine Patronus shot forward, lunging at one of the Shadows and rolling into a ball, hitting the Heartless quills first.

"Oh. I guess it's _any_ creatures of darkness," Aurora said in surprise. _(Would have been nice to know back in the forest…)_

"That's useful," Leon grunted, before lunging forward.

"I will go make sure the Town is still protected," Merlin said, before disappearing in a poof of white smoke. Aurora, on the other hand, helped Leon with the Heartless.

" _Baubillious!"_ she cried, using a bolt of light to knock a few Heartless out of the air. She jumped back as they hit the ground, before using a Water spell to create a gyser under them, making them shoot back up and slam into the ceiling.

Meanwhile, Leon was slashing through the Heartless, his blade whistling with the speed it moved through the air. After a few more slashes, he jumped back and used the gun part, shooting quite a few of them. The Heartless fell before the bullets, turning into black dust.

The Porcupine ping-balled between a few of the smaller Shadows, taking them down with quills made of light, before suddenly landing on the back of a bigger Heartless, a Morning Star. It dug at the Heartless's armor, but was knocked off as the thing began to spin, landing in front of Leon and vanishing. Leon looked over to see the Heartless headed directly towards Aurora.

"Watch out!" he yelled. Aurora finished off the Heartless she was facing, and turned, only to see the Morning Star baring down on her.

" _Reflega!"_ she cried. The crystal barrier bloomed from the shield on her left wrist, just as the Morning Star slammed into her. It was heavier and stronger then the girl, so Aurora slid back before it's onslaught, until her back hit the wall, just as the Reflect spell exploded outward, sending the Morning Star reeling. Leon moved forward to finish it off, but a Crimson Jazz suddenly attacked him. Aurora took a deep breath, only for the Morning Star to start its spinning attack again, headed directly towards her.

" _Reflega!"_ she yelled once more, before an idea suddenly popped into her head. She pressed her right hand against the inside of the crystal barrier. " _Thunder,_ " she breathed. Yellow lightning suddenly arched off the of the shield, giving the crystalline barrier a yellowish-tint.

The Morning Star slammed into the Reflect spell again, but this time reeled back before it exploded, lightning arcing between it and the shield.

Then the Reflect spell exploded outward, joined by miniature strikes of lightening raining down within its area of effect.

The Morning Star, still directly in the spell's path, took the full attack, before quickly vanishing.

"Whoa…" Aurora panted.

Leon jumped into the air, only to bring his sword down on the Crimson Jazz, finally finishing it off.

"That's that," he grunted, before looking over at the girl. "You okay?"

"Never better," Aurora said with a grin.

"Let's find Merlin," he said. Aurora nodded, running after the man as he took off into the town.

It was clear to see that the Claymores, the Town's Defense System, was struggling to keep up with the Heartless attack.

Fortunately, Merlin was not. Aided by quite a few town people wielding weapons of their own, they were quickly pushing the Heartless back. Before Aurora and Leon could jump in, they managed to push the Heartless out, and Merlin used a spell to cover the town in a large dome of light, keeping the Heartless out.

"What's going on!? I thought Sora, Donald, and Goofy managed to wipe out that pool of Heartless and stopped Ansem's computer from going berserk," Aurora asked.

"They're all coming from _inside_ the Dark Castle," Leon growled. "This is the first time they've attack in such numbers though…"

Aurora frowned at that, putting a hand to her chin in thought. _(Seems a little coincidental, timing wise, with my arrival. Unless…_ ) Aurora's eyes widened as she thought back to that cloaked man who attacked her just after the life sized Chess Game back in The Wizarding World.

"What if there's someone controlling them from the castle?" Aurora asked.

"Hm… Maleficent has been… quiet since the Organization," Leon said thoughtfully as they walked over to join Merlin. "But… this doesn't feel like her."

"No. She'd have attacked before now. I mean someone… new," Aurora said. Leon sighed softly.

"That sounds like a definite possibility. We were talking about checking out the Dark Castle ourselves, but I'd feel better if Sora were with us."

"Well, he's taking his Mark of Mastery," Aurora sighed, before looking up. "I'm no Keyblade Wielder, but I could help."

"Really?" Leon asked, looking at her in surprise. Aurora stopped walking, looking around at the defenseless towns people who were slowly coming out of their shops and homes, watching the Heartless as they swarmed just outside of Merlin's dome. She could see the fear in their faces, the helplessness.

Steel-like determination chased the fear from her own heart, and she looked up at Leon.

"Yes. After all, these people need help and protection. Peace of mind. Someone to defend them," Aurora said. Leon smiled at that, clasping her shoulder.

"You have grown a lot since we last saw you," he said with a smirk. Aurora grinned at that, taking it as a sort of 'Leon compliment,' as they reached Merlin.

"Well, all I've ever wanted was to help people. What's so different here then the Court Room?" she said.

"Um… it's a life or death situation for everyone involved?" Leon said.

"You have never met the Prosecutors from my world…" Aurora deadpanned.

…

In the end, it was decided that Leon, Yuffie, and Aurora would slip out of Merlin's shield and check out the castle. The others were needed in town.

Before they left, though, Aerith stopped Aurora.

"Here," she said, handing her a blue card.

"What's this?" Aurora asked.

"Remember the Membership Cards? We've updated them," she said. Aurora looked down at the card and smiled. On the front was Ansem's Castle, with a silhouette of the town underneath. Flipping it over she found the words ' _Radiant Garden Restoration Committee Member,'_ with her name written on it in Leon's messy scrawl.

"Thank you," Aurora said happily, pulling out her wallet and adding it. Aerith smiled, hugging her tightly.

"You're welcome. Be careful," Aerith said. Aurora hugged her back.

"Thanks, we will," she said. Aerith seemed to hesitate, before smiling with a nod.

"See you when we get back!" Yuffie called, as Leon led the two girls out.

…

The way to the castle was hard, blocked by multitudes of Heartless who all thought nothing of attacking them. However, between Leon's Gunblade, Yuffie's Ninjitsu, and Aurora Magic, the three managed to make quick work of the hoards, and reached the castle in no time.

"Finally," the ninja panted as they entered the Great Hall.

"You said it," Aurora gasped, before reaching in her bag and downing another Elixir. _(I really need to stock up on more of these…)_ she thought, glancing in at her dwindling stock.

Leon waited for the two girls to recover, before walking forward again.

"Well, it doesn't look too different from before," Yuffie said, looking around at the creepy interior.

"You've been here before?" Aurora asked.

"Yep! On Sora's first adventure, this castle is where the Princesses of Heart were being held, including Kairi," Yuffie explained.

"This World's Keyhole is special," Leon said. "It leads to the Door to Darkness."

"And it's in this castle that the Keyhole can be found," Yuffie added.

"Really? That would mean it's been here a while, right?" Aurora asked.

"Right." Leon pushed open the doors to the Lift Stops, and waved the girls forward, onto the first lift. "It was here before Ansem's castle. In fact, Ansem the Wise used _this_ one for a lot of his research, when he was looking into the darkness in peoples' hearts. He moved his research over to the newer castle once construction was done. Unfortunately, when his apprentices were working behind his back, they came back to this one," Leon explained.

"At least, until they banished him to the Realm of Darkness. After that, it seems they worked simultaneously in both," Yuffie added. Aurora shook her head.

"Crazy," she muttered, just as the lift stopped.

"You said it!" Yuffie said brightly, just as they left the Lift Stop. Unfortunately, it was there that they were attacked by Heartless. Again.

The three fought their way through, watching each other's backs and supporting each other, until finally, they reached the Grand Hall. Aurora shivered as they walked through the darkened room, making their way to the large platform at the top of the room.

"Leon… there's nothing here," Yuffie said softly in a hushed voice.

"If there _is_ someone controlling the Heartless attacking town, they have to be here," Leon said, turning this way and that.

That's when the temperature for Aurora dropped, turning to blizzard temperatures. She activated her shield, turning this way and that.

"I know you're there!" she yelled, her voice echoing around the large empty room, causing Leon and Yuffie to jump.

"Aurora?" Yuffie asked.

"As perceptive as ever," _his_ voice said, as Black Coat stepped from the Heartless shaped portal in front of them.

"The Organization?" Leon gasped as he and Yuffie readied their weapons.

"Why are you attacking the town?" Aurora demanded.

"Hmph," the man scoffed, sounding amused. He crossed his arms over his chest, one hand reaching up, under his hood, as though adjusting something. He then shook his head. "Everyone is guilty of one crime or another. You, the Restoration Committee, those boys you are so desperately trying to save, your _cousin_ ," his calm voice turned contemptuous at that last word, "even your dear brother," he continued, his voice calm again. Aurora stiffened. "How long will you, as a 'seeker of truth,' turn a blind eye to that? Should those who commit crimes not be punished?"

"Punished?" Aurora asked. "Is that what you call, making the Heartless attack innocent, _defenseless_ people!?" she demanded. The man dropped his hand from his face, his arms still crossed across his chest.

"Ah. I see. That's what you care about. _Defending_ people. Hmph. You are more like _that man_ then I initially thought." He dropped his arms, the black rapier appearing in his hand. "No matter. That will soon change," he said, before lifting his sword, pointing it straight up. Darkness poured from the tip, and the three dropped into fighting stances.

"Aurora, your bag!" Leon suddenly gasped. Aurora glanced down quickly to see something inside glowing. She quickly reached in, and pulled out the source of the light.

The Star Shard.

"No! Not yet!" she gasped, just as the darkness solidified into a large, Dragon-like Heartless.

"Aurora?" Yuffie asked as the glow from the Star Shard surrounded Aurora.

"Running away?" Black Coat scoffed. Before anyone could react, the Heartless lunged forward, and Aurora was whisked away, leaving Leon and Yuffie to face the Heartless on their own.

Black Coat smirked under his hood.

"Perfect," he muttered, before vanishing through a Corridor of Darkness.

…

"Hey Axel. You haven't forgotten?" an oddly familiar voice broke through the darkness, bringing the red-haired man's consciousness forward. He was sitting on a beautiful clock tower, the sunset before him simultaneously lighting up the buildings below, and casting dark shadows.

Axel hesitated in taking a bite from his ice cream, and turned to the one who first spoke.

"Hm? What?" he asked.

"You made us a promise," his companion said, staring down at his own ice cream.

"I did?" Axel asked.

"That you'd always be there… to bring us back," the other said.

A small smile crossed Axel's face as he looked forward, watching the sun again. "Yeah…"

Roxas finally turned to the ginger and smiled, putting a finger to his temple in an imitation of his best friend. "Got it memorized?" he asked with a grin. Axel chuckled at that, but rather then humor, it was filled with sadness. The image of Roxas faded – Axel saw this in his peripheral.

"Best friends forever," Axel said.

…

He groaned. His entire body was stiff. Light and colors entered his eyes as he opened them, until everything sharpened. He wasn't on the clock tower, but on a hard, metal floor, his arm curled in front of him.

"Where…" he muttered, "what happened to me?" He slowly pushed himself up, until he was standing in some kind of computer room. "Roxas?"

He turned to the side, and caught sight of his reflection in a glass window. "That's me…"

He looked to the other side, only to see four people, who he recognized, laying on the floor. A few of them let out soft groans.

"Dilan, Aeleus, Even, Ienzo—" he muttered as Aeleus pushed himself up, before he caught himself, realizing what he was seeing. He slowly turned back to the glass window. Unlike the others, he was still in the Organization Coat.

But that's not what made him gasp and move closer to inspect his reflection.

He put a hand just under his eye, staring at his reflection's cheeks. The purple, upside down tear drops…

They were gone.

"We're people again…" he gasped, before looking at the others' reflections. "But only the ones who joined the Organization here." His eyes narrowed. "I guess Xehanort doesn't count, but where are Braig and…"he hesitated, torn between the two people who had ever been his best friends. "…Isa?"

…

His senses slowly returned to him. The first was sound – birds were chirping somewhere above him, and not too far away, he could hear a river running. A small smile crossed his face.

 _(Sounds like home…)_ he thought, before the next sensation, feeling, kicked in, causing him to groan.

He was laying first down on the ground. He could only guess it was in the woods, due to the numerous rocks and sticks he could feel digging into his chest and stomach. He groaned softly again, opening his eyes, and saw that his assumption was correct. He slowly pushed himself up, and looked down.

"What…? What happened to me?" he muttered softly. He was still wearing the black Organization Coat, causing him to feel even more confused. But looking around brought on a sense of… nostalgia.

That's when he had an epiphany. Closing his eyes, he searched his heart for why this was so—

 _(My HEART…. I'm a person again…)_

He quickly stood, surprised at how… fine he felt after how he had faded. But that didn't matter. Looking this way and that, he saw what he was looking for. The road. He quickly moved through the trees and onto the road, following it in the direction he had always walked it.

 _(This is where I lost my heart! This is where it happened! Which means—)_

A car drove past him, before suddenly screeching to a halt. The driver's side door opened, and a man with dark gray, spiky hair, kinked eyebrows, and brown eyes stepped out, staring in complete and utter shock at the man in the black coat.

" _Edym!?_ " he gasped.

"Heh. Hey, Uncle Jeremy," Edym said with a weak smile, and an even weaker wave.

…

 **A/N:** And there you have it! I put my headcanon in there about the two castles of Radiant Garden, because let's face it, the one you go through in KH1 is CPMPLETELY different and much older seeming then the one you go through in KH2, whereas the one room we see in the Dark Castle in KH2 looks like it would fit in the castle from KH1.


	4. Remnant

**A/N:** So, not quite sure _why_ , but fanfiction never emailed anyone about the last chapter. Here's hoping it does for this one.

In OTHER news… This is… probably horrible, but I think this is the world I was the most excited for. Heh.

AND IT WAS VOTED NUMBER ONE!

I've had many ideas for this world, and honestly, this one _might_ spark a post KH3 sequel. But, for now, here we go!

Warning: minor spoilers for volume 4 or RWBY, by the way.

…

Chapter Four: Remnant

Aurora hit the ground, hard, and the light surrounding her vanished. She quickly sat up, wincing, and stared at the Star Shard in her hands.

"Take me back!" she demanded. Of course, there was no reaction. Gritting her teeth, she shoved it in her bag and covered her face with her hands.

"Yuffie. Leon. Guys… please be okay," she whispered, before slowly pushing herself up and looking around.

It was night time, and she was in a city. All of the shops were closed, and the streets were mostly empty. Aurora sighed and began walking forward.

After a few streets, she finally found one shop open. It was small, and seemingly empty except for the shop keeper.

"'From Dust Till Dawn'," Aurora read, before entering.

"Hello," she said, smiling warmly at the elderly man behind the counter. She glanced around, noticing that there were all kinds of tubes filled with colored powder. Inside the glass case the man stood behind were different colored crystals. She looked back at the man. "I'm… new in town, and kinda lost. Could you—"

She cut off as the door behind her slammed open. A man in a white jacket and bowler hat came in, followed by other men in black suits, hats, and red glasses.

"Move it, Blondie," the man said, pushing Aurora out of the way with his cane. Aurora shivered slightly at the darkness coming from the man.

The grunts took up position in front of the store, blocking any attempt to escape. One even had the audacity to grab Aurora's arms, keeping her in place.

The man in white stepped up to the shop keeper, ashing his cigar right on the counter. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a dust shop open this late?"

As the man spoke, one of the grunts leveled a gun to the old man's chest.

"P-please!" the old man said, holding his hands up. "Just take my Munny and leave!"

"Sh-sh, calm down, we're not here for your money," the man in charge said, in an almost soothing voice. He then turned to his grunts. "Grab the dust."

They got to work, doing as they were told and wiping the store out of not just the powder in the containers along the walls, but also the crystals behind the counter.

 _(Dust?)_ Aurora thought, keeping a close eye on the gun pointed at the old man. She knew if she tried anything, either she or him would get shot.

Besides, she was very out-numbered, and using magic to fight people… just didn't seem fair.

Just then, one of the men unsheathed a red sword, looking at something in the back.

"Alright kid, put your hands where I can see 'em," he growled.

There was no answer.

"Hey, I said hands in the air!" He stalked into the back, disappearing behind the shelves. "You got a death wish or something!?"

"Yes?" a young, feminine voice suddenly asked.

"I said put your hands in the air. Now!" the man snapped.

"Are you… robbing me?" the girl's voice asked.

"Yes!"

"Ooooh…"

"Hey!"

"YAH!"

The man suddenly flew back into the front, crashing into one of the displays.

"Whoa…" Aurora muttered. The guy in charge looked at one of the other grunts, before motioning into the back with his head.

That man ran towards the girl with a gun. "Freeze!" he yelled.

Something red and black suddenly shot past him and crashed through the window, shattering it. Everyone looked out to see a girl, probably two years younger than Aurora, slowly stand, a mechanical scythe that was bigger than her unfolding itself. The girl wore a black and red dress, stockings, and boots, with a red cape and hood. She had short, black and red hair, and silver eyes that sparkled with challenge as she looked up at the men, swinging her heavy looking scythe to point at them.

"Oh," Aurora breathed. This evened things a bit. And if that girl was using magic… She looked back at the man holding her and smirked.

"What?" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing," Aurora said, before stomping down on the man's foot, feeling a satisfying _crunch_ under her heel. The man yelped and let her go, and Aurora spun on her heel, activated her shield, and punched the guy right in the face, putting all of her momentum, power, and weight behind her left hook, and making sure the edge of the shield hit first. The guy flew to the side, go much further then she expected.

 _(Huh? The physics on this world is weird. Maybe less gravity?)_ Aurora thought, before jumping through the window and joining the girl, who glanced at her with a smile.

"Okaaay…" the man in white said. He then looked at his grunts, who were still standing around him, looking at the girls. "Get them!"

The three grunts ran out of the store and towards the two girls.

Aurora ducked under two sword swings before cloaking her shield in a Water spell, focusing her magic so that the water came slightly off her shield, creating a short blade. She surged upwards, inside the man's guard, and slashed at him. She then jumped back.

" _Water!"_ she breathed. A gyser shot upwards, shooting the man into the air and causing him to slam into the man that the other girl sent flying upwards. Both landed, unconscious, in front of the door to the store.

The third one jumped back from the two and began shooting.

" _Reflega!"_ Aurora called as the Water around her shield dispelled, creating a crystal barrier to protect both herself and the girl in red.

The girl jumped up, pointing her scythe at the ground, and _shot it,_ propelling herself higher. _(Wait, that thing's also a gun!?)_ Once high enough in the air, she dove towards the guy, rolling forward like a deadly wheel. She hit the guy, slammed the point of her scythe into the ground to stop herself, and kicked him straight into the air.

Aurora finished him off by pushing herself up, into the air, and forward with an angled Water gyser, and kicking the man right in the stomach, slamming him into his unconscious comrades. The man in white looked down at them, just as sirens could be heard in the distance.

"You were worth every cent. Truly, you were," he muttered sarcastically, before looking up at the girls, pulling the cigar from his mouth. "Well, Red, Blondie, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening," he began, dropping the cigar and putting it out with his cane. "And as much as I'd love to stick around…" He rose the cane, pointing it at the two, "I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

A targeting sight popped up on his cane.

 _(Another gun? Really?)_ Aurora thought, crouching low. The man shot it, causing the girls to dodge. Aurora rolled to the side, while the girl pointed her scythe at the ground and shot it, propelling herself into the air.

When both looked up, the man was gone.

"There!" Aurora called, pointing to where she spotted him climbing the latter on the side of a building. The Shopkeeper came to the door, looking at the two girls.

"You okay if we go after him?" the one in red asked.

"Uh huh."

Aurora and the girl looked at each other, before taking off after the man, determined to catch him. Rather than taking the ladder, the girl shot herself into the air, while Aurora launched herself up with a Water spell.

"Hey!" the girl yelled, causing the man to stop.

"Persistent…" he grumbled, just as a huge airship rose from over the edge of the building, right in front of him. A light shined over the girls, blinding them, and giving the man enough time to climb into the side that just opened.

"Wait!" Aurora yelled.

"End of the line!" the man yelled with a smirk at the two, holding up a red gem, one of the ones he took from the store. He threw it at the two, then aimed his gun-cane and shot it, causing an explosion.

Aurora covered her face, not having time for a Reflect spell. But the blast never hit.

Looking up as the smoke cleared, she spotted a woman, blond, wearing a business skirt, white blouse, a black and purple cape, and glasses. She was standing in front of Aurora and the other girl, holding a riding crop in the air, a mystical circle of purple light floating in front of her. The circle faded with the smoke.

"Hm," the woman hummed. She adjusted her glasses with her free hand, then slashed the crop in front of her. Dozens of purple lights shot out of it, headed straight for the ship, powerful enough to make it jerk around in the air.

As the ship came back under control, the man in white was gone, replaced by a woman in a red dress, her face hidden by shadow. The blond woman moved her hands once more, and a purple light shot into the sky, this time stopping over the airship. Storm clouds, filled with lightening, appeared. The blond woman slashed her hands down, and sharp icicles rained down on the ship.

The woman in red's hand flashed, and red markings lit up over the long sleeves of her dress. Fire followed her hand, and she shot it at the group of three on the roof.

The woman blocked it, but the ground at her feet exploded. She managed to jump out of the way, and used her abilities - _(That's not actual magic. Not in the traditional sense, at least…)_ – to gather the rubble from the building and shoot it at the ship.

The woman in red used her own abilities to shoot at the rubble, protecting the ship.

The driver, who Aurora could only guess was the man in white from earlier, tipped it to the side, throwing the woman in red off balance and causing the projectiles to just glance off the side. The blond woman tried multiple shots at a time, but they were disintegrated in a flash of orange.

 _(Time to fight fire with ice!)_ Aurora thought, before slashing her left hand forward, in front of her.

" _Triple Blizzaga!"_

Three large chunks of ice shot out of her shield, flying straight at the ship. She quickly followed this spell up with more Ice-based magic.

Following her lead, the girl in the red cape transformed her scythe into a gun and began shooting.

The woman in red used her fire to melt the ice, and block the bullets. She then waved her other hand, and the ground at the trio's feet began to glow.

The blond woman used her ability to move Aurora and the girl out of the way, jumping forward herself, to avoid the explosions. By the time they looked up… the ship was gone.

"You're a huntress," the girl in the red cape said, looking at the blond woman. The woman simply looked at her, not answering. "Can I have your autograph?" the red girl squealed.

…

The girls were taking to the police station and placed in separate interrogation rooms. Aurora gave her statement to the police, then waited, wondering how long they were going to keep her here.

Finally, a man in a suit, with white hair, glasses, and a green scarf walked in, carrying a plate of cookies and a mug.

"I'm sorry for the wait, young lady. I had to replenish my plate of cookies after speaking to your young friend," he said.

"Oh, it's alright. Um… I… don't actually know that other girl," Aurora said.

"And yet, you jumped right in to help her," the man said, putting the plate in front of Aurora and pulling out what looked like a tablet. Aurora eyed the cookies. They were warm. And chocolate chip.

She couldn't help it. She plucked one off the plate and began to nibble on it. Meanwhile the man had brought up a video of Aurora and the girl fighting the men.

"So, Miss. Wright," the man started, sitting and leaning forward, "you're not from around here, are you?"

"W-well, no," Aurora said, swallowing her bite. "I'm new in town, and I stopped in that shop to—"

"No. I mean, you're not of this _world._ Are you?"

"W-what?"

"Your Aura. It's different. Other worldly. Of course, only those who know what they're looking for can sense it," the man said with a smile. "Besides, that's not Dust you're using," he said, looking back at the video, where Aurora was using Triple Blizzaga. "That's magic. _Real_ magic. Which here is impossible but to a select few."

Aurora hesitated for a moment, before narrowing her eyes slightly at the man. "Who… who are you?" she asked.

"I am Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. But I've seen and heard of many, _many_ more things then you can imagine," the man said with a mysterious smile. Aurora studied the man, not with her eyes, but her other ability. The temperatures around him were fluctuating too much to get a read though, so Aurora risked closing her eyes.

Image after image after image after image invaded her senses. Dozens – no, _hundreds_ – of images super imposed over each other. Aurora's eyes snapped open, and she looked up at the man, who was simply watching her.

"Are you okay, Miss. Wright?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," Aurora muttered, rubbing her head.

"Well, now, I assume you don't use a Keyblade, considering there was no sign of one in this fight—"

 _(Wait… how does he…?)_

"—but do you know how to fight the Heartless?"

"The Heartless…?" Aurora asked, surprised. The man nodded, tapping on his tablet a few times, before bringing up a video.

It was of a large creature, completely black, except for white armor plates covering its head and a few parts of its body. Red lines streaked through these armor plates, and red eyes glowed from under the armor.

"This is a Grimm. A creature of darkness that feeds off of sadness, loneliness, and fear," Ozpin explained. "Recently, mostly found in the Emerald Forests around Beacon Academy, there has been… a new breed of Grimm." He tapped a few more times, and the video changed. It was almost the same creature, but instead of the red lines, they were purple. The creature had one red eye, one yellow, and the Heartless symbol glowed from the forehead of its armored mask.

"Whoa. It's… a Heartless Grimm?" Aurora asked.

"Precisely. I guess it's not surprise. Both the Heartless and Grimm are creatures born of darkness. It shouldn't be hard for the two to merge."

Aurora glanced back up at the man, wondering how he knew all this. Then she thought back to all of the images she had seen in his heart.

 _(Maybe… reincarnation? Or at the very least, past lives. And if he_ remembers _them… maybe he met that same Keyblade Wielder the old Headmaster from Hogwarts had met…? Well… a past life of his, at least.)_

"And they're only around your school?"

"Yes."

"Then there must be… something there. Something in that school that they're attracted to. It could be a weapon like the Keyblade, or something that has a powerful light. But at the same time, if they haven't actually attacked your school, then something's keeping them out," Aurora mused thoughtfully. The man smiled slightly, leaning forward.

"Aurora… how would you like to come to Beacon Academy?" he asked.

"What, as a student?"

"For now. We could use your help with the Heartless Grimm. And you are a brilliant fighter. What do you say?"

Aurora hesitated, looking down at her bag, where the Star Shard was. She had to admit, she was curious about this world, and wanted to help people…

…but Riku was in danger.

 _(Well… it's not like I can control when I leave and where I go anyway. Besides, it must have bought me here for a reason, right? Maybe Beacon needs me…)_

"Well… okay."

…

Ozpin set Aurora up for the night in a hotel and gave her a scroll – a phone like device. It was full of all kinds of documents about the world, in general, and about the different things in the world. Aurora read through them all, thankful she was a fast reader.

Of course, that meant she didn't get any sleep that night, but she was fine with that.

As she was getting ready to go to the Airship Port the next morning, to catch the one that would fly her and the other students to Beacon, her Scroll rang.

"Um, hello?" she answered.

"Miss. Wright. How are you this morning?" Ozpin's voice asked from it.

"Good, sir. Thank you again for the Scroll. It was really useful," she said.

"Good, good. I just want to make sure you have a cover story?"

"Er, yes. I'm from Atlas, and attended Grove Academy. I figured that was the best choice, since it's very small, almost no one transfers out of there, and they emphasize the use of Dust," Aurora explained.

"Good, good. And your Semblance? Have you given any thought to that?"

"Dust manipulation. I can make it do things and have effects that not everyone can. And the dust is threaded into my clothes."

"Very good."

"Uh, Professor," Aurora hesitated, looking at her bag once more. "I feel I should warn you… there might come a time when I have to leave. No warning, nothing. What are you…?"

"Hm… that could be an issue. But, I guess the only choice we have is to say that you transferred back to Grove. Urgent Family business will call you home," Ozpin said.

"Alright. Thank you, Professor."

"Of course. See you at First Year Initiation," the man said before hanging up. Aurora smiled at that, before gathering her things and making her way to the Port.

As soon as she sat down once getting on the ship, she fell asleep.

…

"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"

The excitable voice cut into Aurora's slumber. She yawned as she woke up, stretching slightly, before looking over at the source of the voice.

It was the girl in the red hood from the other night, being squeezed to death by a curvy blond.

"Pease stop…" Red groaned, looking slightly nauseous.

"But I'm so proud of you!" Blond said excitedly, letting her go.

"Really, Sis, it was nothing."

"What do you mean? It was incredible!"

"I had help," Red muttered, but her sister wasn't listening.

"Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees!"

Aurora snorted at that. _(Talk about an old phrase…)_

"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees', okay? I don't wanna be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees," Red said, glancing down at her, well… knees.

"What's with you? Aren't you excited?" Blond asked.

"Of course I'm excited… I just… I got moved ahead two years. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything," Red said, looking down. Blond walked over, wrapping an arm around her sister.

"But you are special," she said.

"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities," a newscast announced. Aurora looked over to see a holographic picture of the man she and Red had faced the other night.

 _(Well, that's one name to one face…)_ Aurora thought, standing and stretching her arms above her head.

"If you have any information on his whereabouts, Please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."

On screen, a woman with purple hair appeared.

"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful organization has now disrupted—" the screen suddenly disappeared. In its place was a holographic image of the woman who had fought alongside Aurora and Red the other night.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon!" she said.

"Who's that?" Blond asked.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch."

"Oh."

 _(Yay! Another name to a face!)_ Aurora thought sarcastically.

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

 _(So being a Huntsman or Huntress is all about protecting the people, huh? If I was from this world…)_ Aurora thought with a warm smile.

The holographic image disappeared, and most of the students moved to the windows. Aurora knew if she looked out, she'd get vertigo, so she stayed right where she was.

"Ugh… ulp!"

Aurora looked over to see a blond boy, in white armor, trimmed with silver, lurch away from the window, covering his mouth.

The boy got sick right near the blond girl.

"Ew, gross Yang! You got puke on your shoe!"

"Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!" the blond, Yang, chanted, hopping up and down on her clean foot and shaking the one with puke around, trying to get it off. Red quickly moved away.

"Get away get away! Get away from me!" she yelled.

The ship finally landed, letting the students out. The first out was Vomit Boy, who quickly found a trashcan. Yang and Red were ahead of Aurora, who was looking around, taking in the sights.

"Wow…" she breathed. Beacon Academy was a castle. Not like Hogwarts, which was an old castle. This one looked more like the Radiant Garden castle, actually. The tallest tower seemed to be in the center, with a huge, open area that had five green glowing orbs in it. Like a literal beacon.

Because she wasn't looking where she was going, Aurora was nearly beheaded as she walked past Red, who had just whipped out her scythe.

"Whoa!" she gasped, ducking.

"Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose!" Red was saying. "I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people. But better."

"Ruby, come on, why don't you go try and make some friends of your own?" Yang asked, pulling Ruby's hood down over her head.

"But why would I need friends when I have you?" Ruby asked, pulling her hood back up. Aurora smiled sadly.

…

" _Come on, Aurora! You need to make some of your own friends!" Edym said as he tried to pry his little sister off his arm so that he could continue playing his guitar with his band._

" _But why would I need friends when I have you?" little Aurora asked, looking up at her big brother with big, round eyes. Edym just sighed with a small smile and a shake of his head._

…

 _(Careful with that sentiment. She might not always be there…)_ Aurora thought sadly.

"Well… actually, my friends are here," Yang said as four people suddenly showed up. "Gotta go catch up! 'Kay, c'ya, bye!" Yang said, talking at the speed of light as she and her friends disappeared.

 _(Or… they can do that…)_ Aurora thought, trying not to laugh.

"Wait! Where are you going? Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? …Do we have dorms? I don't know what I'm doing…" Ruby muttered as she lost her balance.

"Hey, watch—!" Aurora winced as Ruby fell into a pile of luggage, sending it flying. Aurora stepped forward to help the girl in red.

"What are you doing!?" another girl, this one in a white dress with long, white hair pulled into a side ponytail, demanded as Ruby sat up.

"Uh… sorry," Ruby said, looking up at her.

"Sorry?" White demanded. "Do you have any idea of the damage you could've caused?"

"Uh…" Ruby didn't answer, instead, picking up one of the cases and handing it to the girl, as though to placate her.

"Gimme that!" White demanded, snatching it and opening it. "This is Dust, mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry," White continued.

"Uhh…" Ruby muttered. Aurora scowled at how the girl was acting, moving forward.

"What are you, Brain Dead? Dust! Fire, Water, Lightning, energy!" the girl said, pulling out one of the vials, a red one, and shaking it around. The bottle must not have been sealed, because its contents were scattering into the air with each movement. The girl didn't seem to notice.

Ruby looked like she was about to sneeze as Aurora pulled her to her feet.

"Are you even listening to me?" White demanded.

"Hey, how about you back off?" Aurora said, turning to the girl in white.

That's when Ruby sneezed, causing a small explosion. The vial went flying.

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!" the girl ranted, the three of them covered in soot.

"Well, maybe if you made sure your stuff was fully sealed and weren't shaking it around like an idiot, this wouldn't have happened!" Aurora snapped back.

"I'm really, really sorry!" Ruby said. Aurora looked at her.

"You have nothing to apologize for," the young attorney said.

"Of course she does!" White snapped. "Ugh! The idiocy of it all! What is she even doing here?" She turned on Ruby. "Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

"Well… I…" Ruby muttered.

"She earned it, just like the rest of us," Aurora snapped.

"Earned it?" White laughed. "This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice you know." The girl crossed her arms, glaring at the two of them. "We're here to fight monsters! So watch where you're going!"

"Hey, I said I was sorry, Princess!" Ruby snapped.

 _(Finally!)_ Aurora thought. Even she was getting tired of watching Ruby let herself get trampled all over by this girl.

"It's Heiress, actually," another voice said. The three turned to see a girl with black hair and a bow walk over, carrying a book in one hand, the vial in the other.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

 _(Oh yeah! They're the biggest suppliers to Grove Academy…)_ Aurora thought, before looking back at the girl. _(This spoiled brat is next in line for it? Greeeeaaaaat….)_

"Finally, some recognition!" Weiss said with a smile, turning to the girl.

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners," the girl added, narrowing her eyes slightly at Weiss. Aurora snorted at that.

"What—how dare-! The nerve of-! Ugh!" Weiss snatched her vial from the girl's hand and stalked off.

"I promise I'll make this up to you!" Ruby called after her. Aurora sighed at that, shaking her head. Ruby sighed. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day…" She suddenly looked up after the girl with black hair. "So what's-?" she cut off when seeing the girl walking away, her nose in her book once more.

"Hey, it's okay," Aurora said with a smile at Ruby. The girl looked over at her, then jumped slightly.

"Wait, you're the one who helped me the other night… right?"

"Bingo," Aurora said with a smile, before offering her hand. "Aurora Wright."

"Ruby Rose," Ruby said, shaking her hand. "Thank for then… and this time, with Weiss," she said.

"No problem. I… know what it's like, being shy."

"Really?" Ruby asked as the two of them walked.

"Yep. I used to be pretty withdrawn myself. Until I decided I wanted to be a De- I mean… Huntress…" _(Gotta be careful…)_

"Wow, really?"

"Yep."

Just then, someone walked over to them.

"Hey," he said. "I'm Jaune."

"Ruby," Ruby said, shaking his hand.

"Aurora," Aurora said with a smile.

Ruby suddenly looked at the guy and pulled her hand back. "Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?"

…

The three explored the beautiful grounds of Beacon, while Jaune tried to defend himself.

"All I'm saying it that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!"

"Look, I'm sorry. Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind," Ruby said while Aurora giggled at them.

"Oh yeah, what if I called you Crater-Face?" Jaune asked.

"Hey, that explosion was an accident!" Ruby said.

"How about we just don't do nicknames?" Aurora said with a laugh. The two looked at her, before Jaune pointed at himself.

"Well, the name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it!"

"Do they?" both Ruby and Aurora asked at the same time, quirking their eyebrows at the boy.

"Th-they will!" Jaune said, looking between the two. "Well, I hope they will…" he added, insecurity showing through. "I mean, my mom always says tha—er, never mind."

"Just be yourself, Jaune. I'm sure you'll find someone," Aurora said with a warm smile at the boy. He smiled weakly back. The three walked a bit further in silence, which quickly grew awkward.

"So… I got this thing!" Ruby suddenly said, whipping out her Scythe, Crescent Rose. Aurora ducked as it swooshed over her head.

"Whoa!" Jaune gasped. "Is that a scythe?" he asked.

"It's also a customizable, high impact velocity sniper rifle," Ruby said proudly.

"Talk about a mouthful!" Aurora laughed, recognizing the terms only because of playing video games.

"A wha…?" Jaune asked.

Ruby cocked it. "It's also a gun."

"Oh," Jaune said. "That's cool!"

"So what've you two got?" Ruby asked. Aurora grinned, activating her shield.

"I've got this," Aurora said.

"Ooo…" Ruby said, studying it.

"It detaches from the wrist band, so I can throw it, and it lets me channel my, er… Dust. And Semblance," she said.

"Coooool!" Ruby cooed, before the girls turned to look at Jaune.

"Oh- us… I got this sword," he said, unsheathing it.

"Oooooh!" Ruby said, studying it.

"And… I've also got a shield!" she said, pulling the sword's sheath from his belt and expanding it into a shield.

"So, what do they do?" Ruby asked, running her hand over the shield, which suddenly started expanding and shrinking rapidly, forcing Jaune to fumble with it, trying to keep from dropping it.

He didn't succeed.

"W-well… t-the shield gets smaller…" he said, picking it up and putting it on his arm once more. "So… when I get tired of carrying it… I can just… put it away," he said.

"But… wouldn't it weigh the same?" Aurora asked. Jaune sighed.

"Yeah… it does," he said, sounding defeated.

"Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons," Ruby admitted, stroking Crescent Rose. "I guess I did go a little overboard designing it…"

"Wait. You made that?" Jaune asked.

"Of course!" Ruby said brightly. "All students at Signal forge their own weapons."

"That's awesome!" Aurora said brightly.

"Didn't you two make yours?" Ruby asked.

"It's a hand-me-down," Jaune said, looking down at his sword. "My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war…"

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me!" Ruby said brightly. "Well I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

"Yeah. The classics," Jaune said with a smile, looking like he felt better.

They turned to the other girl. "Aurora?" Ruby asked.

"No. My… boyfriend gave this to me," she said with a small blush, putting a hand to her locket. "When I decided I wanted to fight, too. Though… I'm not sure if he made it or had it made for me…" she trailed off.

"Oooooh! You have a boyfriend?" Ruby asked. Aurora laughed.

"Yep. His name is Riku. He's…. er, back in Atlas," Aurora said, deactivating her shield. "I'm only here because Ozpin offered me the chance after that night with Torchwick."

"Oh," Ruby said with a smile.

The three began walking again. "So, why'd you randomly come up to us back there? In the courtyard?" Ruby asked.

"Eh, why not?" Jaune asked. "My mom always says, 'strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'"

"Hm. I like that," Aurora said with a smile, getting a grin from Jaune in return.

"Umm…. Hey, where are we going?" Ruby asked. Aurora looked around, noticing the path they were on was totally devoid of students.

"Oh, I dunno. I was following you two," Jaune said.

"Er… same," Aurora added.

"You think there might be a directory?" Jaune asked. Aurora and Ruby giggled. "Maybe a food court? Some sort of recognizable landmark?" The two continued laughing. "Is uh… is that a 'no'?"

"Heh, that's a 'no'," Ruby said.

"Well, let's just retrace our steps back to the front and start from there," Aurora said with a smile, leading the way back. The two nodded, following after her.

Eventually, they found their way to the area where the first year assembly was being held.

"Ruby!" Yang suddenly yelled, catching her attention. "Over here! I saved you a spot!"

"Oh! Hey, I gotta go!" Ruby said. "I'll see you after the ceremony!" she darted off.

"Hey, wait!" Jaune called. Aurora smiled, looping her arm through his.

"Look, I see two spots over there," she said, pointing at to a few seats behind the sisters.

"Well, alright," he said, letting himself be dragged over.

"You!" a familiar voice suddenly caught Aurora's attention. She looked up to see Weiss Schnee standing next to Ruby and Yang. Ruby was in Yang's arms.

"Oh god, it's happening again!" she sobbed.

"Oh great," Aurora grumbled, letting go of Jaune and stalking over. _(I REALLY don't like that girl!)_

"Wait!" Jaune called, before sighing. "Great. Now where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?" he groaned.

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" Weiss growled. Yang's eyes grew huge as she looked at her sister.

"Oh my god, you really exploded," she mumbled.

"It was an accident, Ice Queen. Why don't you give her a break?" Aurora said. Weiss turned and glared at her.

"You stay out of this!" she snapped, before turning back to Ruby as Yang put her down. Weiss held out a pamphlet.

"What's this?" Ruby asked.

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company Product. Although not mandatory…" her voice became an irritating buzz as she spoke, seeming to go faster and become higher in pitch.

She finally stopped talking.

"Uhhh…" Ruby muttered.

"You really want to start making things up to me?" Weiss demanded.

"Absolutely!" Ruby said. Aurora sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Read this and don't ever speak to me again," Weiss said, shoving the pamphlet into Ruby's hands.

"Look, uh… it sounds like you two just… got off on the wrong foot!" Yang said, trying to smooth things over. "Why don't you just start over and try to be friends, okay?"

Ruby looked at her, then turned to Weiss. "Yeah! Great idea, Sis!" she said, before clearing her throat and holding her hand out. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby!" she said. "Want to hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!"

"Yeah, and we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys, like tall, blonde, and scraggly over there!" Weiss replied with a totally fake smile, pointing over her shoulder at… Jaune.

 _(Whoops. I kinda ditched him…)_ Aurora thought with a small wince.

"Oh wow, really!?" Ruby gasped, the sarcasm flying straight over her head. Weiss's face fell.

"No."

"Did you… honestly think that would work?" Aurora asked in a soft voice, leaning closer to Yang.

"Eh," the blond shrugged. "Worth a shot?"

Just then, Ozpin walked over to the mic on the raised dais, clearing his throat. "I'll keep this brief," he said. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of people."

Aurora looked around, smiling at the thought. _(I probably would have fit right in with these people if I actually came from this world…)_ she thought, chuckling softly to herself.

"But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

He walked away, while the girls glanced at each other. Even Weiss seemed a little off-put by that speech.

Goodwitch walked up to the mic.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed!" she said, before following after the Headmaster.

"He seemed kind of… off," Yang said.

"Almost like he wasn't even there," Ruby added.

"Maybe… he has a lot on his mind?" Aurora suggested.

"I'm a natural blond, you know!" Jaune suddenly said, having come over, and was standing next to Weiss. The heiress sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

…

The ballroom was swarming with students by the time Aurora got her sleeping bag and entered. She quickly looked around and found Yang and Ruby.

"This spot taken?" she asked Yang, motioning to the spot next to her, on the other side of Ruby. The blond grinned.

"Nope! All yours!" she said. Aurora smiled and set up, before darting to the bathroom to change, happy she bought her sleepwear with her.

Dressed in an oversized, blue long sleeve shirt with a red bull on the front, and black shorts, she returned to the ballroom and put her clothes with her other stuff, before laying back against her pillow.

 _(This world… this school… it's all so awesome. But then, I can say the same about The Wizarding World… and Radiant Garden… and almost every other world I've been to…)_ she thought to herself, smiling slightly. _(Despite everything… I'm glad I'm getting the chance to travel…)_

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang, who had left to change, suddenly said, throwing herself down onto her sleeping bag. Aurora sat up and opened her eyes to see Yang looking between Aurora and Ruby. Aurora laughed at that.

"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though," Ruby, who was writing in a book, said. Aurora smiled sadly at that.

 _(Homesick, I guess. I can understand that…)_ Aurora thought, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"I know I do," Yang said, with a smirk, looking over at the boys. Aurora looked over at them as well, more curious then anything.

Most of them were shirtless, wearing just pajama pants. A few of them were rough housing, while others were flexing and looking over at the girls, trying to get their attention.

Then… there was Jaune. Who was in a pair of footie pajamas. He noticed the girls looking and grinned. "Ew…" Yang mumbled, while Aurora rolled backwards, laughing.

The two sisters began talking about their old school, so Aurora let herself zone out again, pulling the locket off her choker and studying the picture inside.

It was of her and Riku. It was about two years old now, back before Aurora had been kidnapped (the first time) by the Organization. Riku was still wearing the black coat and blindfold in this picture.

 _(We really need an updated picture…)_ she thought with a smile, thinking back to the one still hanging in her and Trucy's room back home.

"You know Aurora!" Yang said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "That's plus two friends! That's a two-hundred percent increase!" she was saying.

"I'm pretty sure Weiss counts as a 'negative friend'," Ruby said, laying back. "Back to just one."

"There's no such thing as 'negative friends'!" Yang said. "You just made two friends and one enemy!"

Ruby suddenly threw a pillow at Yang, hitting her dead in the face, hard enough to make the girl fall back. Aurora laughed at that, before looking at Ruby.

"Look, it's only the first day," she said. "Remember what Jaune said? Strangers are just… friends we haven't made yet. And like Yang said, you've got me," she said. Yang smiled up at Aurora, mouthing 'thank you.' Aurora smiled with a nod.

Ruby sat up, before suddenly noticing something. Yang and Aurora followed her gaze to a girl – the same one who had put Weiss Schnee in her place after the explosion incident.

"That girl…" Ruby said.

"You know her?" Yang asked.

"Not really…" Ruby admitted.

"She saw what happened this morning," Aurora said. Ruby sighed.

"But she left before I could say anything…" she said.

"Well, now's your chance!" Yang said, getting up and grabbing both Ruby and Aurora's arms, dragging them over.

"Hey, wait! What are you doing?" Ruby demanded, while Aurora just shook her head.

As they got closer, the girl looked up. Yang let go of Aurora's arm and waved at her. "Helloooo!" she… _sang_.

Ruby yanked her arm out of Yang's grip and turned her back, crossing her arms.

"I believe you three may know each other?" Yang asked. The girl looked at Ruby.

"Aren't you that girl that exploded?" she asked. Aurora turned her snort into a cough.

"Uhh, yeah! My name's Ruby," she said, offering her hand. The girl looked back at her book, and Ruby rubbed her head awkwardly. "But, you can just call me… crater…" she sighed and shook her head. "Actually, you can just call me Ruby…"

"Okay…" the girls said, not looking up from her book. Aurora smiled weakly.

"Maybe we should…" she started, only to realize no one was paying attention to her.

"What are you doing?" Yang hissed.

"I don't know, help me!" Ruby hissed back, before both sisters turned to smile at the girl in the bow again.

"So… what's your name?" Yang asked.

"Blake," the girl said.

"Well, Blake, I'm Yang! Ruby's older sister!" she said.

"And I'm Aurora. I just met these two today," Aurora said, shaking her head at how over-zealous Yang was being.

"I like your bow!" Yang tried.

"Thanks…" Blake was sounding exasperated.

"It goes great with your…" she hesitated, "pajamas!"

"Right…"

"Nice night, don't you think?" Yang tried, yet again. Aurora shook her head at that.

"Yes. It's lovely. Almost as lovely as this book…" Blake tried. Those two didn't seem to get the hint. "That I will continue to read…" Still no luck. "As soon as you leave," she said a little more forcefully.

"Yeah, this girl's a lost cause," Yang said. Aurora elbowed her, and Yang stuck her tongue out at her in response.

"What's it about?" Ruby suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Blake asked.

"Your book. Does it have a name?" Ruby clarified.

"Well, it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body," Blake explained.

"Oh yeah… that's real lovely…" Yang said sarcastically.

"I love books," Ruby said. "Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters… They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress."

"Why is that?" Blake asked with a chuckle. "Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

"I'm hoping we all will," Ruby said. "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. Someone who fought for what was right, and who protected people who couldn't protect themselves."

Aurora's respect for Ruby grew ten-fold.

"That's very ambitions for a child," Blake said. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale." There was a lot of sadness in her voice.

 _(Something must have happened in her past…_ ) Aurora thought sadly.

"Well, that's why we're here… to make it better," Ruby said with a warm smile.

"Oooh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!" Yang suddenly yelled, picking Ruby up in a hug.

"Ack!" Ruby cried, struggling. "Cut it out!" she yelled, _punching Yang in the face._ Aurora's eyes widened, and she moved away from where those two were suddenly fighting.

 _(Maybe it's a good thing I never had a sister so close to me in age…)_ she thought.

"Well, Ruby, Yang, Aurora… it's a pleasure to—" Blake tried while they continued wrestling. Ruby suddenly grabbed Yang's foot, holding it at waist height and tickling it.

"What in the world is going on over here!?" someone demanded. "Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep!?"

That's when the sisters and Aurora realized it was Weiss, and Weiss realized she was speaking to Ruby.

"Oh, not you again!" Aurora, Weiss, and Yang all yelled.

"Shh! Guys, she's right!" Ruby gasped. "People are trying to sleep!"

"Oh, now you're on my side," Weiss snarled.

"I was always on your side!" Ruby snapped.

"What sides!?" Aurora asked, not remembering once where sides had been drawn.

"What's your problem with my sister!?" Yang demanded. "She's only trying to be nice!"

"She's a hazard to my health!" Weiss snapped, stomping her foot.

"That's a little harsh!" Aurora cried.

That's when Blake blew out her candle, plunging them in darkness.

…

The next morning came quickly. Aurora made sure she was one of the first in the communal bathroom so there would still be hot water for her shower, before she got dressed and went to breakfast with Yang and Ruby. From there, they made their way to the locker rooms, where they left their equipment before going to the ballroom last night.

As they were finishing getting ready, a tall guy with black hair, wearing green, walked by, a shorter ginger girl in pink following after. "But not 'together' together," the ginger was saying with a giggle.

"Wonder what those two were so worked up about," Ruby said thoughtfully.

"Who knows?" Aurora said with a smile, adjusting her wrist band. It felt weird to not have it last night.

"So!" Yang said, looking at her sister. "You see awfully chipper this morning."

"Heh, yep! No more awkward small talk or 'getting to know you' stuff," Ruby said brightly, pulling Crescent Rose from the locker. Aurora stepped back from it, not knowing if or when Ruby was going to activate it. "Today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking." She hugged it. "That's how I met Aurora, after all!"

"True," Aurora said with a chuckle.

"Well, remember Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation," Yang said. "If you want to grow up, you're going to have to meet new people and learn to work together. Both on, and _off_ the battlefield," Yang said.

"Ugh… you sound like Dad!" Ruby groaned, putting Crescent Rose on her back holster. "Okay, first of all, what does meeting people have to do with fighting? And secondly, I don't need people to help me grow up," Ruby said, crossing her arms. "I drink milk."

Aurora stared at the girl for a second, before realizing she was completely serious, and burst out laughing.

"But what about when we form teams?" Yang asked, shoving Aurora away.

"Uhm, I don't know, I-I'll just be on your and Aurora's team or something…" Ruby said.

"Well… Aurora's all good and fine and all… but maybe you should try being on someone else's team? Yang suggested. Aurora, who had sobered up a few minutes ago, looked at Yang, biting her lip. Ruby stalked over to her.

"My dearest sister Yang, are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me!?" Ruby demanded.

"W-what!? No! Of course I do, I just thought… I don't know, maybe it would help you break out of your shell!" Yang tried.

"I'll meet you guys out there…" Aurora said, suddenly feeling _really_ awkward. She darted after the guy in green and the ginger.

"Oooh! Who are you?" the ginger suddenly asked when noticing how close Aurora was to them.

"Uh…"

"Nora," the guy in green said, sounding exasperated.

"Oh, sorry! I'm Nora! This is Ren!" the girl said. Aurora chuckled.

"It's okay. I'm Aurora. Nice to meet you," she said.

"Likewise!" Nora said. "So are you excited for your first day at Beacon? Oh, I can't wait for initiation!" she suddenly darted over to Ren. "You remember our plan, right?" she hissed, only just loud enough for Aurora to hear. Ren just smiled slightly at the ginger.

"I won't ask," Aurora giggled, walking past them, just as they announced over the loud speakers for all first years to go to Beacon Cliff.

…

The cliff. Was high. Very high.

Aurora felt dizzy standing so close to the edge (even if she stood in the line of students, putting her a few dozen feet away from it).

"For years you have trained to become warriors," Ozpin said. "And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

 _(The Emerald Forest!? Isn't that where he said the Heartless Grimm were?)_ Aurora thought, looking up and catching Ozpin's eye. He nodded ever so slightly, before going back to looking at the line of students.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heart rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion," Goodwitch said. "Each of you will be given teammates… Today."

"What?" Ruby gasped softly.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well," Ozpin said. Ruby made another scared noise. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years. The only exception, is Miss. Wright." He turned to look at her, causing everyone else to do the same. "We have an odd number of students this year, so one of our teams will be made up of five students. Miss. Wright will have two partners. She was selected randomly." He explained. Aurora chuckled slightly, waving shyly as everyone turned to look at her.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest," Ozpin said. "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."

 _(I don't know which school was more dangerous. Hogwarts, with sending their students in the forest at NIGHT… or this one!)_

Jaune let out a nervous laugh from where he stood at the end of the line, next to Aurora.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene." Ozpin went on to explain the test – finding the abandoned temple and collecting a relic, before making it back to the cliff, as well as how they would be graded.

"Are there any questions?" Ozpin asked.

"Yeah, um, sir—" Jaune began.

"Good! Now, take your positions," Ozpin interrupted him.

Aurora had read about the whole 'landing strategy' part. She crouched low, knowing the stone square she was on would launch her into the air.

She felt vaguely nauseous.

Meanwhile, Jaune was still trying to ask his question.

Weiss was the first to be launched. It then steadily went down the line, one after another. Aurora's stomach dropped at seeing the other students fly into the air.

Meanwhile, it seemed as though Jaune had no clue what a landing strategy was. He didn't even seem to notice the students being catapulted into the air.

"WooHOO!" Yang yelled as she was launched. Ruby smirked at Aurora just before she was shot into the air.

Then it was Aurora's turn.

"I HATE HEIGHTS!" she screamed as she flew through the air. Then she heard Jaune's scream from behind.

 _(Focus Aurora, focus!_ ) she mentally yelled at herself, twisting around so that she was flying forward head first. She activated her shield.

" _WATERGA!"_ Aurora yelled. A geyser shot out of her shield, streaking forward and creating a path. Aurora flipped forward and landed on the path feet first, riding it over the tree tops. Ahead, she could see Yang shooting forward, riding what seemed to be explosions coming out of her _fists_ , until she disappeared into the trees. Aurora glanced down at her Water path, noticing it was starting to run out, and let it dip forward, letting Aurora enter the trees. She pointed at the ground just as her Waterga spell ran out.

" _Water!"_ she yelled. A geyser shot from the ground, and Aurora jumped from the end of the path she was on, landing on the top and dropping to the ground with it, rolling so as to minimize impact on her ankles and knees.

"Oh, I'm gonna be sick…" she muttered, taking a few deep breaths. She then stood and ran forward through the trees, keeping her senses open.

She could sense the hearts of most of the students, but they seemed pretty far off. Closer was the chilling sensation of darkness.

 _(The Heartless Grimm. Great. I wonder what's in the school anyway? Why are they attracted there? Or is it this forest? No… that doesn't make sense. Does it?)_ Aurora thought as she ran, steadily heading north.

Suddenly, she sensed it from behind. She spun on her heel. " _Reflega!"_ she yelled, just as a boar like creature rushed at her. It slammed into her barrier, causing it to shatter and send Aurora flying backwards. Looking up, she noticed that the creature had purple lines streaking through its white armor plates, which covered its head and back, a Heartless symbol on its forehead, one yellow eye, and one red.

It was a Heartless Grimm. A Heartless Boarbatusk, to be exact.

It stomped its foot, snorted, and rushed forward again. Aurora waited until the last minute, then dove to the side, rolling to her feet. The Heartless Boarbatusk slammed into a tree, rattling it and sending leaves raining down over it.

" _Firaga!"_ Aurora yelled. A large blast of fire shot from the spread fingertips of her left hand, hitting the creature right in the face, but all he did was shake his head and rush forward again. Aurora rolled to the side once more, and looked at it, trying thunder and blizzard magic with the same effect.

 _(Damn… how do I beat this thing!?)_ she thought, before trying a water spell.

As the geyser hit it from beneath, the beast squealed in pain, and hit the ground, landing on its back. That's when Aurora saw that there was no armor… on its _belly._

"Weak spot," she said with a smirk, cloaking her shield with a water spell, creating a blade with it, and rushing forward. She jumped into the air, and came straight down on top of the Heartless Boarbatusk, slamming her left fist, blade point first, into its stomach. It evaporated into black smoke, with a crystal heart floating up from it.

 _(If all of the Heartless Grimm are that tough… I'm in trouble. I can't beat those things on my own…)_ Aurora thought, panting slightly. She took a deep breath, stood up straight, and ran forward again.

After a few more minutes, she sensed Yang's heart from ahead. Yang… and the chilling sense of darkness.

"No!" she gasped, running forward harder.

She shot into a clearing in time to hear Yang laugh, skidding to a stop behind her. In front of Yang were two normal Grimms. They looked a lot like bears, actually.

"Geez, you two couldn't hit the broad side of a ba—" she cut off as a strand of her hair drifted down in front of her face. She watched it as it drifted all the way down to the ground.

"You…" she growled. "You MONSTERS!" she screamed, suddenly catching on fire.

"Whoa!" Aurora cried, stumbling back. The enraged girl shot forward, attacking the Grimms. Each punch was accompanied by a small explosion, until she sent one flying back, slamming _through_ the trees. She then turned to the other that had totally ignored Aurora and ran at Yang.

"What, you want some too!?" she yelled. The Grimm drew itself to full height, ready to crush the girl in front of it, when—

It was attacked from behind and collapsed. Blake stood behind it, her weapon in its back.

Yang panted as she came down from the… whatever it was, while Blake sheathed her weapon and smirked at her.

"I could have taken him," Yang said.

"I believe it, after seeing that," Aurora said, walking over to the two girls. They looked at her, and she smiled.

"Looks like we get the team with five!" Yang cheered. Aurora chuckled.

"Ozpin said North, right?" Blake asked. Yang nodded, and the three started that way.

The three girls didn't run into much as they made their way through the trees.

Finally, the made it through the trees to the edge of a cliff, where a crumbling stone building stood.

"Think this is it?" Yang asked. Blake just shot her a look before jumping down. Aurora, on the other hand, groaned.

"Why is it always heights…" she whined, following after.

The three girls walked through the temple, studying the 'relics'.

"Chess pieces?" Blake asked.

 _(Oh god, not again…)_ Aurora. Thankfully, these peices were only about the size of the girls' hands.

"Some of them are missing," Yang pointed out.

"We weren't the first ones here then," Aurora said.

"Well, I guess we should pick one," Blake said.

"But… which one?" Aurora asked as the three looked around.

"Hmm…. How about a cute little pony?" Yang called, holding up the White Knight.

"Sure," Blake said, rolling her eyes, but smiling.

"That works," Aurora added with a chuckle at her enthusiasm.

"That wasn't too hard," Yang said as the three met in the middle.

"Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find," Blake said.

"The hard part was fighting through the Grimm. I think we were lucky though," Aurora added.

Before they could move, the sound of a scream echoed over the trees.

"Some girl's in trouble!" Yang gasped. "Blake, Aurora, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, but… how do we find them out here?" Aurora asked.

Blake, meanwhile, was looking up at the sky.

"What should we do?" Yang asked, turning to the other two. Aurora looked over at Blake as well.

Yang continued to try to get the girl's attention, who simply pointed up. Yang and Aurora finally followed her gaze, only to see Ruby… falling… from the sky.

"Heads up!" she screamed.

"Oh geez," Aurora muttered, holding her hand up. _(As soon as she's in spell casting distance, I'll cast Aero and-)_

The thought cut off as something slammed into Ruby from the side, and she went flying into the trees.

"Uhh…." Aurora muttered.

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asked.

"I—" Yang started.

The sound of growling and falling trees caught their attention, and a large bear like Grimm stumbled into the clearing, before collapsing.

Nora rolled off of it before standing. "Aww… it's broken," she pouted, studying the beast. Ren appeared behind it, panting.

"Nora?" he said. "Please… don't ever do that again…" before he finished talking Nora was gone, already in the temple and staring at the white castle.

"Oooo!" She snatched it from its pedestal. "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" she sang.

"NORA!" Ren yelled.

"Coming Ren!" she giggled with a salute, darting back over to the boy.

"Did she just ride in on a Grimm?" Aurora asked, watching after her.

"I—" Yang started.

More growling and trees falling, from yet another direction, caught their attention, and a red-haired girl came running out of the forest, a HUGE scorpion Grimm chasing her.

She dodged two strikes, and seemed to spot something in the trees.

"Jaune!" she cried.

Just then, Ruby dropped out of one of the trees and landed next to the three _very_ confused girls.

"Ruby?" Yang gasped.

"Yang!" Ruby cheered, and the two went to hug.

"Nora!" the ginger popped up between the two girls.

"ACK!" they gasped, freezing to avoid hugging her. Aurora giggled at them.

"Did she just run all the way here with a Deathstalker on her tail?" Blake, who had been watching the other ginger, asked.

Yang exploded. Literally.

"I can't take it anymore!" she yelled, her eyes turning red. "Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?"

 _(One Mississippi…. Two Mississippi…)_ Aurora mentally counted while Ren limped over to the group.

On cue, Ruby tapped her sister's shoulder. "Um… Yang?" She pointed up, causing the rest of the group to look in that direction.

Weiss was hanging onto the talon top of a _huge_ flying Grimm. Aurora's eyes grew wide when she noticed the Heartless Symbol on the bird's chest, and purple in its mask. Correction, a huge flying _Heartless Grimm._

"How could you leave me?!" the heiress cried.

"I said 'jump'!" Ruby yelled.

"She's gonna fall," Blake said.

"She'll be fine," Ruby said.

Weiss's grip slipped.

"She's falling," Ren said.

Aurora sighed. _(Okay, I'll cast Aero on HER when she gets close-)_

Before she could even finish the thought, Jaune dove from the trees and caught the falling heiress. It would have been romantic…

…if he had a landing strategy.

" _AERORA!"_ Aurora cried. A whirlwind appeared around them, slowing their fall, but Jaune still hit the ground pretty hard, with Weiss landing on top of him.

"My hero," Weiss said, bored, studying her nails.

"My back…" Jaune groaned.

Meanwhile, the Deathstalker was still chasing the red-head. It finally caught up to her and slammed her aside with its claw, throwing her so that she landed directly in front of the group.

"Great! The gang's all here!" Yang said. "Now we can die together!"

"Your optimism is so refreshing," Aurora snarked.

"Not if I can help it!" Ruby said, before running forward.

"Ruby, wait!" both Yang and Aurora yelled. The younger girl didn't listen, propelling herself forward with shots from her scythe. The Deathstalker deflected her blow though, knocking her back.

"D-d-don't worry! Totally fine!" Ruby yelled, before turning to the Deathstalker. She shot it in the face… then ran. It gave chase.

"RUBY!" Yang yelled, running forward. Aurora was right behind her.

That's when the Heartless Nevermore flew overhead, shooting its giant feathers at the ground. One snagged Ruby's cape, trapping her. Yang slid to a stop just before getting impaled, catching Aurora who couldn't stop in time.

"Ruby, get out of there!" Yang yelled.

"I'm trying!" Ruby cried.

"She's trapped!" Aurora said.

The Deathstalker rose its tail, ready to strike.

"RUBY!" both Aurora and Yang yelled, before a flash of white suddenly shot past them.

Ice suddenly formed, catching the thing's tail before it could hit Ruby. Weiss stood up straight, and the two had a little chat, before Weiss walked back to the group. Yang shot over to her sister and hugged her tight.

Meanwhile, Aurora looked at Weiss and crossed her arms.

"That was a halfway decent thing you did," she said.

"What's your problem with me?" Weiss snapped, glaring at her.

"I just don't like bullies. And that's all you've done to a kid who just wanted to be your friend." Weiss recoiled slightly at that. "So, Ruby made a mistake, but it was your waving around the Dust that made her sneeze in the first place. And she _apologized_."

"Me and Ruby… are working things out. I just admitted that I'm a little… difficult. Get off my back, and I'll prove to you that I'm not a bully," Weiss said. Aurora hesitated before smiling.

"Alright then."

"Guys, that thing's not a normal Grimm. And… it's circling back," Jaune said, watching the giant Heartless. "What are we gonna do?"

"Look, there's no sense in dilly-dallying," Weiss said. "Our objective is right in front of us."

"She's right," Ruby said. "Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things."

"Run and live. That is an idea I can get behind," Jaune agreed. He and Ruby walked into the temple and grabbed their artifacts.

Aurora was watching the Heartless Nevermore, biting her lip. _(I don't feel comfortable leaving a Heartless that big to its own devices… but what choice do we have? I need Sora and Riku. I can't do this on my own…)_

The ice holding the Deathstalker's tail began to crack.

"Time we left," Ren said.

"Right!" the others agreed, and the group began to make their way back south, to the cliffs.

The Grimm caught up to them as they got close and entered into some old ruins. The Heartless Nevermore flew overhead and forward, blocking the way and causing the nine to dive behind pillars. It landed on the highest point.

"Well that's great!" Yang sighed.

"I don't think we have a choice but to fight it," Aurora said, readying her shield.

A crash from behind announced the arrival of the Deathstalker.

"Oh man, run!" Jaune yelled, causing all nine of them to rush forward.

"Nora, distract it!" Ren yelled, and the girl did just that, first by drawing the Nevermore's fire, then by shooting back with a grenade launcher type weapon.

Aurora ran forward with the rest of the group, glancing back to see Ren and Blake distract the Deathstalker, and Weiss get Nora out of there.

She turned fully, skidding to a stop, on the bridge. " _Firga!"_ she yelled, shooting large fireballs at the Deathstalker. Pyrrha, at the same time, shot at it with her own weapon. Together, they slowed it down long enough for Ren and Blake to make it to the bridge, before they started running again.

Just then, the Nevermore slammed into the bridge, destroying most of it, separating the group, and trapping Aurora, Pyrrha, Blake, and Ren on the side with the Deathstalker. They tried to hold it off, but their backs were to the drop.

"Ugh!" Blake cried as she was thrown back. Pyrrha darted forward, slashing at it, while Aurora kept up a tirade of Reflect spells, doing all she could to keep them from getting knocked off the edge.

Suddenly, Jaune and Nora appeared, with Nora slamming her hammer – _(Wasn't it just a grenade la—oh wait. It's probably both.)_ – into the thing's face, before blasting it, shooting herself backwards and right into Blake and Aurora, knocking them both off the ledge.

"Ah!" Blake cried.

"No!" Aurora yelled.

Blake suddenly flipped around in the air and threw her weapon, which had a long rope attached, and embedding it into one of the supports. She grabbed Aurora's hand, and the two of them swung through the ruins.

"Can you launch us straight up with your Wind Dust?" she called.

"Yeah, just say when!" Aurora replied, readying herself.

"NOW!"

" _AEROGA!"_ Aurora yelled, and a powerful whirlwind appeared around them, shooting them straight into the air, landing on the Heartless Nevermore's back.

Seeing what Blake had in mind, Aurora cloaked her shield in a Water spell, creating a blade with it. Both ran along its back, slicing and slashing, before jumping off and landing on one of the ruins, coincidentally alongside Ruby, Yang, and Weiss.

"That didn't do anything!" Aurora gasped in surprise.

"It's tougher than it looks!" Blake told the others. Yang narrowed her eyes, watching it fly around them.

"Then let's hit it with everything we've got!" she said, readying her gauntlets.

As it flew towards them, all five got their weapons ready. Ruby, Yang, and Blake shot at it with their various guns, while Weiss and Aurora shot spells, using their Dust/magic.

Despite getting hit with almost everything, the Heartless still flew directly at them. At the last second, it dipped down and destroyed the supports of the ruins they were standing on.

"Not again!" Aurora yelled as the building collapsed under them. The five bounced between the collapsing rubble until they all reached higher, more stable ground.

Aurora found herself on another bridge, standing next to Weiss and Ruby.

"None of this is working!" Weiss said.

Aurora nodded in agreement, panting from the strain of the battle.

"I have a plan!" Ruby suddenly said. "Aurora, you'll have to immobilize it when the time is right. For now, cover me!" she yelled, jumping away. Both girls nodded, turning towards the Heartless Nevermore.

It was out of their reach, circling Yang, until suddenly, it dove at her, mouth wide open.

Yang jumped right in.

"No! Yang!" Aurora yelled.

"Wait, look!" Weiss said, pointing. The blond was holding the Heartless Nevermore's beak open, shooting straight into its throat. Right before it slammed into the cliff, she jumped out, landing near those two.

As the Nevermore landed with its back to the cliff, Ruby appeared near Aurora.

"NOW!" she yelled.

"Right! _HASTAGA!"_ Gold light surrounded Aurora, and she shot forward, darting past Yang who was moving to meet up with the other three. The Nevermore began to spread its wings.

"Oh no you don't! _Graviga!"_ Purple light surrounded it, keeping it grounded until Aurora got close enough. As she jumped into the air, she felt power surge through her, and smirked.

" _Deep Freeze!"_ she yelled, launching her shield, which was glowing icy blue, at the Nevermore's tail. Just as the Gravity spell wore off, and it went to take flight, the shield slammed into the ground just beneath its tail. Ice exploded from it, covering the ground, the Heartless's tail, and even one's of its talons. The shield seemed to bounce off of the cliff behind the Heartless Grimm, and came back to Aurora, who caught it as she landed in a crouch.

Meanwhile, Yang and Blake stretched Blake's rope between two pillars, which Ruby jumped onto. Weiss, using her glyphs, pulled Ruby back, turning the rope into a slingshot.

Ruby rocketed forward as the ice melted. Weiss used her glyphs to create a path straight up the cliff, which Ruby landed on, catching the Nevermore's neck with her scythe.

Between her natural speed, the shooting from her gun, and Weiss's glyphs, Ruby ran up the cliff side, dragging the Heartless by its neck behind her.

As she reached the top, she shot her scythe once more, and in a shower of rose petals, ripped the Nevermore's head off. It's giant body slowly fell, turning to black smoke and releasing a huge crystal heart, while Ruby landed at the top of the cliff.

Weiss, Yang, and Blake walked over to where Aurora was still standing from when she landed earlier, all four staring up at the young girl in red.

"Well," Yang started. "That was a thing."

…

"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark." Ozpin, who stood on the stage in the middle of the auditorium, called. The four boys stepped forward. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL," he said, pronouncing the name as Cardinal. "Lead by Cardin Winchester." Clapping followed his announcement.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR," he pronounced it as Juniper. Nora excitedly hugged Ren at this announcement. "Lead by Jaune Arc!"

"Huh?" the boy gasped, while Pyrrha grinned at him. "L-lead by?"

"Congratulations, young man," Ozpin said with a smile at him. Pyrrha punched his shoulder in a friendly manner…. Knocking him over, much to the amusement of the watching students.

"And finally, the only team to have five members, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Aurora Wright, and Yang Xiao Long. The five of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team RWABY," he pronounced it as Ruby. "Lead by Ruby Rose."

Weiss quickly looked over at the girl, who herself looked shocked while the audience clapped. Aurora smiled at that. _(Probably for that genius plan of hers when we were fighting the Heartless Nevermore…)_

"I'm so proud of you!" Yang suddenly yelled, darting over and trapping Ruby in a hug.

"Looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year," Ozpin said with a smile.

When the girls reached their new dorm that night, they got changed… and collapsed into bed.

…

Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Aurora all woke up pretty early and got ready for the day. Aurora couldn't help the small sigh that escaped her as she changed into the school uniform.

 _(I've already graduated from school… and yet, this is the second one I've enrolled in since! And each had uniforms!)_ she thought in exasperation. She still wore her choker with the locket while in uniform, but, like most of the other students, was required to leave her weapon, her shield, in her locker.

Once those four were ready… Ruby used a whistle to wake Weiss up, causing her to fall out of bed.

"Goooood morning team RWABY!" Ruby cheered brightly.

"What in the world is wrong with you?" Weiss demanded.

"Now that everyone's awake, we can officially begin our first order of business," Ruby said.

"Excuse me?" Weiss asked, standing and brushing herself off.

"Decorating!" Yang said brightly, her arms full of all kinds of stuff.

"What?" Weiss asked.

 _(Wow she's not a morning person!)_ Aurora thought in amusement.

"We still have to unpack," Blake said, holding up her suitcase. It popped open, dumping her stuff onto the ground. "And clean…" she added.

"Plus… figure out the bed situation," Aurora added, looking at all five of the beds. They were just kind of… squished into the room.

Weiss kind of glared at them, until Ruby blew her whistle again.

"Alright! Weiss, Blake, Yang, Aurora, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission!" the girl said excitedly. "Banzai!"

"Banzai!" the rest of the team, minus Weiss, cheered. Weiss simply sighed.

While Yang hung posters, Weiss hung paintings, Blake filled up the book shelves, and Ruby hung (then sliced) the curtains, Aurora focused on trying to arrange the beds.

Finally, she got frustrated and threw them into the middle of the room using a wind spell.

"Yeah, that's not going to work," Weiss said once all five stepped back.

"There's not enough space," Aurora huffed.

"It is a bit cramped," Blake agreed.

"Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff," Yang said.

"Or we could ditch the beds," Ruby suggested, before gasping. "And replace them with bunk beds!" she added excitedly.

"Um, that sounds incredibly dangerous," Weiss said.

"And super awesome!" Yang cheered.

"It does seem efficient," Blake said.

"And it'd open a lot of space," Aurora pointed out.

"Well, we should put it to a vote," Weiss argued.

"Heh, I think we just did," Ruby said. Blake, Aurora, and Yang all made yes gestures, while Weiss frowned and made a no gesture.

The girls shot forward, quickly constructing the bunk beds, before stepping back.

Two of the beds were suspended from the ceiling with rope; Ruby's was positioned over Weiss's with a sheet around it for privacy, while Aurora's was at the foot of Ruby and Weiss's bunk and perpendicular to theirs. Yang's, on the other hand, was supported by stacks of Blake's books placed between the legs of her bed and the head/foot boards of Blake's bed. The girls stepped back.

"Objective complete!" Ruby said brightly. "Alright, our second order of business is…!" she glanced down at a paper. "Classes." She almost sounded defeated. "Now, we have a few classes together today. At nine, we've gotta be—"

"What!?" Weiss gasped. "Did you say nine o'clock!?"

"Umm…" Ruby looked up at her.

"It's eight fifty-five, you dunce!" With that, she darted out the door. The rest of Team RWABY looked out the door, watching after her, as did Team JNPR, who had the room across from theirs.

"Uh… t-t-t-to class!" Ruby yelled as the others grabbed their stuff and rushed after the heiress. There was a crash from behind, and Aurora looked back to see Team JNPR laying on the floor. They jumped up and followed after.

Somehow, all nine of the first years got to their first class on time and found seats. Aurora was interested to see that this one was all about Grimm.

 _(I wonder if the teacher will talk about those Heartless Grimm too…)_ Aurora thought as she sat. Finally, the teacher, a portly man in a red suit, with white hair and a white mustache to match, began.

"Monsters! Demons… Prowlers of the night. Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names," Professor Port began dramatically. Aurora noticed, almost immediately, that Ruby was asleep. "But I, merely refer to them as prey." He laughed, as though expecting the rest of the class to as well.

Silence met his words, but his outburst did wake Ruby up.

"Uhhh…. And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy," the man said, saving himself. "Now as I was saying, Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces. And that's where we come in." He paced in front of the students, before stopping near Team RWABY. "Huntsman! Huntresses…" he clicked his tongue with a wink at Yang, who let out a weak 'kill me' chuckle. "Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask? Why… the very world!"

Silence reigned around the room again, until a kid in the back suddenly cheered, causing everyone to look up at him. He quickly sat back down.

"That is what you are training to become," Professor Port continued. "But first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome man.

 _(Wait for it…)_

"Me."

 _(I knew it.)_

"When I was a boy…" his voice faded into the background as Ruby began to goof off, drawing Aurora's attention. Weiss, who sat on Ruby's other side, seemed to be getting distracted too, especially when Ruby began to giggle to herself. She showed her team a very… unflattering picture she drew of the professor as he continued his story. Aurora smothered her giggles, as did the rest of the team.

Except Weiss, who was glaring at their team leader.

The professor cleared his throat, causing the girls to look at him. He merely rose an eyebrow at them and continued. Aurora sighed in relief.

 _(Guess he didn't see the drawing. Good…)_ she thought.

He finally finished. "The moral of this story? A true huntsman must be honorable." As he spoke, Ruby continued to goof off, clearly bored. Aurora noticed that Weiss was glaring at her the whole time. "A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

"Weiss…?" Aurora muttered, noticing that she looked like she was about to explode.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" Professor Port asked.

Weiss's hand shot into the air. "I do, sir!" she said.

"Well then, let's find out," Port said. "Go get your equipment. Don't take too long. We'll be waiting."

The heiress shot out of the room, returning minutes later dressed in her combat skirt, her weapon in hand.

A chill suddenly washed over Aurora as a cage was rolled into the room, rattling and growling.

 _(Grimm…)_

"Gooo Weiss!" Yang cheered as the heiress got into her fighting stance.

"Fight well!" Blake called.

"You got this!" Aurora said.

"Yeah, represent team RWABY!" Ruby called.

"Ruby, I'm trying to focus," Weiss said, looking at the excited team leader. The teams' faces fell.

"Oh, sorry," Ruby said.

"Alright," Professor Port said, holding his own weapon, a double axe-bladed… shot gun? "Let the match, begin!" he brought it down on the lock on the cage, breaking it. Aurora stiffened as the Grimm charged.

It was the same kind as the Heartless Grimm she had faced in the forest before finding Yang and Blake. A Boarbatusk.

Looking at it closer, though, Aurora saw that this one had red on its armor plates, and both eyes were red. There was no Heartless symbol to be seen.

 _(Thank goodness…)_

It charged directly at Weiss, who sliced at it and rolled out of the way, watching it. It slid to a stop and turned to face the young Huntress in training.

"Ha-ha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Port asked.

"Hang in there Weiss!" Ruby cheered.

Both charged at each other again, though this time, the Grimm grabbed Weiss's weapon with its tusks, reducing the fight to a tug-o'-war match. "Bold, new approach. I like it!" Port called.

"Come on Weiss, show it who's boss!" Ruby called. Weiss made the mistake of looking over at her, and the creature yanked her sword from her hand, throwing it back so that it now stood between the sword and the girl. It then slammed the girl aside with its tusks.

"Ooh! Now what will you do without your weapon?" Port asked.

"Weiss, look out!" Aurora cried as the boar charged at the girl, who was on her hands and knees. Weiss looked up, then rolled to the side just in time. The Grimm charged past her and slammed into one of the desk fronts. Weiss jumped to her feet and ran to her weapon, sliding as she picked it up.

"Weiss, go for its belly! There's no armor underneath—" Ruby began.

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss yelled, turning to look at the girl. Ruby's face fell.

The Grimm rolled into a ball and charged at Weiss, even faster than before. Using her semblance, Weiss summoned a glyph that acted as a shield. The Grimm rammed into it and was thrown back, landing belly up. Weiss jumped into the air with a flip, kicked off another glyph, and dove, sword point first, at the Grimm, killing it.

Weiss sat on her hands and knees next to it, panting.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Port said. "It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training," he said as she stood, the Grimm fading into black dust next to her. Weiss lowered her weapon. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned reading and stay vigilant. Class dismissed!"

Weiss stalked out of the room, while the rest of Team RWABY looked at each other in worry.

"I'm… going to go after her," Ruby said, jumping up and darting out.

"Well, now what?" Yang asked.

"I want to talk to Professor Port about the reading. I'll meet you later," Aurora said, grabbing her stuff and standing. Professor Port was busy clearing away the mess from the battle as the students left. With nothing better to do, Aurora helped.

"Ah, thank you, Miss. Wright. How did you like today's lesson?" he asked.

"I enjoyed it," Aurora said with a smile. "I actually fought one of those in the Emerald Forest during initiation."

"Ah, so I guess you learned the same lesson Miss. Schnee did then, hm?" he asked.

"About going for its belly? Yeah," Aurora chuckled, remembering how she panicked. She then adopted a thoughtful expression. "Although… the one I fought was a bit different," she said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. That one had purple instead of red markings. And a symbol. Like this," Aurora drew the Heartless symbol on the board. "And one of its eyes were yellow, instead of red."

"Ah, yes. The 'Heartless Grimm', as Ozpin had named them. Did you see any more like that?" Port asked, erasing the symbol.

"Just one. The Nevermore we fought," Aurora said. Port nodded, motioning for the girl to walk with him.

"Yes. They started showing up only about a year or two ago. The first one made it into the school, you know," he explained.

"Wait, really?" Aurora gasped as they walked through the halls. The man nodded.

"Yes. But thanks to a select group of highly trained individuals, the professors, of course, we managed to defeat it," he said proudly.

"Right. Have you seen… any that don't look like Grimm?" she asked as they stepped outside, walking over to one of the railing that allowed for a view over the school grounds. The sun was shining brightly over the school.

"Hmm… no. Now why would you ask that?" the man asked.

"Just curious. Knowledge is power after all… right Professor?" Aurora asked sweetly. The man laughed.

"That it is, my dear girl. If you have any other questions about the Grimm, don't hesitate to ask," he said. Aurora smiled warmly.

"Alright. Thanks, Professor," she said, walking away.

 _(So, the only Heartless around are those Grimm Heartless. I really can't afford to stay here too long. I need to find Riku and Sora. But… I don't know, something about this just doesn't feel right. Every other world, there was Heartless_ and _whatever was native to that world. Never the Heartless MERGING with the natives from that world. Is there someone behind the scenes, pulling the strings?)_

That night, Aurora laid on her bed, using the _Lumos_ spell she learned at Hogwarts to light up her wristband. Around her were books all about Beacon – the myths and legends, history, and, of course, books all about the Grimm. She was trying to see if she could figure out why the Heartless were so attracted to the school.

Yang and Blake were asleep in their beds. Aurora could see a faint light shining from under Ruby's privacy sheets, but she could also hear snoring from that bed too. Weiss's bed was empty.

Just then, the door opened.

" _Nox,_ " Aurora hissed, and the light from her wristband vanished.

Aurora quickly pulled her blanket up and over herself and her books, just as a shadow slipped past her bed and pulled the sheet back from Ruby. Through slitted eyes, Aurora could see that she was surrounded by books, the faint light from the flashlight shining down on her pillow.

There was a soft throat clearing, then a snort.

"Weiss! I-I was studying and then I fell asleep. I'm sorry," Ruby started stuttering, before cutting off.

"How do you take your coffee?" Weiss asked.

"Uh, I don't—"

"Answer the question," Weiss snapped.

"Uhh! Cream and five sugars!" Ruby gasped. There was a sigh.

"Don't move."

Aurora heard footsteps move across the room, then the sound of the coffee pot. A moment later, Weiss appeared at Ruby's bedside again.

"Here."

"Um, thanks Weiss," Ruby said.

"Ruby… I think you have what it takes to be a good leader," Weiss said. "Just know, that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have. Good luck studying." There was a pause. "That's wrong, by the way."

Another pause. "Hey Ruby?"

"Uh-huh?" Ruby asked.

"I always wanted bunk beds as a kid," Weiss admitted from the door, just before it closed, presumably so that Weiss could go get ready for bed. Aurora smiled warmly at that, happy the two of them were finally seeing eye to eye.

…

As time went on, Team RWABY grew into a closer, more cohesive fighting team. There were even times where Aurora would forget that she wasn't of this world, especially when joining in on prank wars between the four other girls, playing video games with Ruby and/or Yang, or cramming with Weiss for big tests.

But then there were other times, where crippling anxiety would grip Aurora, and she couldn't tear her thoughts away from Sora and Riku. Especially when her nightmares about the twenty paths began again. She knew time moved differently in different worlds, but she had no way of telling how much time, compared to wherever Riku was now, or even compared to home, that she had spent on Remnant.

To make matters worse, she still couldn't figure out what the Heartless Grimm were after. She tried to ask Ozpin, but even he didn't have any ideas.

Aurora definitelt kept busy, between school work, the different hijinks team RWABY and JNPR would get into, plus her personal investigation.

There were a few times she considered asking her teammates to help, but… after the danger Harry, Ron, and Hermione got into in Hogwarts, she decided against it.

Then the students from the other kingdoms started arriving for the Vytal Festival – a Festival and Tournament that celebrated the ending of the Great War.

It was because of this that Team RWABY found themselves down at the docks one Friday afternoon.

Vale went all out. There were balloons everywhere, and signs being strung between buildings. Aurora smiled.

It was all so… happy.

"The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" Weiss said happily as the team looked at one of the signs.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much Weiss," Ruby teased. Aurora pulled a face.

"It's kinda weirding me out…" the young attorney complained.

"Now could you _not_ smile?" Weiss demanded. "A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world!"

"That is pretty cool," Aurora said with a smile.

"Exactly!" Weiss said with a grin at her. "There will be dances, parades, a tournament! Oh the amount of planning and organization that goes into this even is simply breath taking!" Aurora's face fell at that last comment.

Yang sighed, crossing her arms. "You reeeaaally know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring," she said.

"Quiet you," Weiss said, not seeing the grins from Aurora, Ruby, and Blake.

"Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?" Yang asked.

"Ugh, they smell like fish," Ruby whined, covering her nose.

"And oil," Aurora agreed, copying the gesture.

"I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today," Weiss said, watching as a ship slowly made its way to port. "And as a representative of Beacon I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom," she continued, turning to the rest of the team.

"She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament," Blake translated.

"Ah! You can't prove that!" Weiss snapped, crossing her arms.

"Whoa," Ruby said as something caught her attention. The others looked over as well, spotting a shop with a shattered window. There was police tape all over it, keeping pedestrians out.

"Let's go check it out," Aurora said, leading the way over. She instantly spotted the detective in charge of the crime scene. "What happened here?" she asked. The man glanced up at her.

"Robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle," he said, walking away.

 _(Dust shop…? That's the kind of shop Ruby and I were in when Torchwick tried to rob it!)_ Aurora thought.

"Ugh, that's terrible," Yang said. Aurora, meanwhile, was hovering around the edges of the police tape, her eyes scanning the crime scene for clues to confirm her suspicion.

"They left all the money again," one of the officers called to the detective.

"Hm?" Aurora looked up from where she was studying a little bit of ash. _(Okay, that REALLY sounds like what happened that night… if I could get a little closer to investigate…)_

She suddenly spotted a cigar, half crushed, just inside the police tape. "Aha!" she gasped softly.

"It just doesn't make a lick o' sense. Who needs that much Dust?" the Detective mused.

"I dunno, ya know what I mean?" the officer said.

"You thinking the uh, White Fang?"

 _(No… that doesn't make sense. Torchwick isn't Faunus. But he definitely did this…)_ Aurora's eyes fell back to the cigar.

"Aurora, what are you doing?" Yang asked, walking over to where the girl was crouched. Aurora immediately jumped to her feet.

"Oh, nothing," she said with a nervous giggle.

"Hmph. The White Fang. What an awful bunch of degenerates," Weiss said.

"What's your problem?" Blake demanded, catching both Aurora's and Yang's attention.

"Uh-oh. I smell an argument," Aurora said.

"Really? Because I still smell fish," Yang said, pinching her nose with a wink at Aurora, causing her to laugh.

Meanwhile, Blake and Weiss were still going at it.

"So then they're _very_ misguided!" Blake snapped. "Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale."

"Hmm… Blake's got a point," Ruby said.

"I don't think it was the White Fang," Aurora said, getting all of their attention. She turned to Ruby. "That night we met Ozpin and Goodwitch for the first time, when we stopped Torchwick. Remember what he was smoking?"

"A cigar, right?" Ruby said.

Aurora nodded and pointed to the one she found. "Look."

The team looked over. "Ooooh!" Ruby gasped.

"Plus, he told the Shopkeeper that he didn't want the cash. Just the _Dust_. This is his MO if I've ever seen it," Aurora explained. The girls stared at her for a moment. "What?"

"You figured all of that out from just a few clues, and you weren't even allowed to go in?" Yang said.

"Well… yeah," Aurora said with a weak smile. "So?"

"That's more than what the Detectives had. You're… really good at that," Ruby said. Aurora let out a nervous laugh.

"My um… cousin is something of a detective. He taught me a few things?" Aurora said. The other four continued to stare at her.

"Okay…" Yang said.

"Well, the police never caught him," Ruby reasoned.

"All of that still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum," Weiss said. "Those faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."

"That's not necessarily true," Yang said.

"Yeah, look at Velvet," Aurora argued, talking about the brown-haired bunny faunus who was a class or two ahead of them.

"Hey! Stop that faunus!" a voice echoed from the docks, shattering Aurora's and Yang's argument and causing all five to run back to the railings.

On the dock of one of the ships, a blond guy in a white shirt, red gloves, and jeans, with a yellow _tail_ , was running, chased by two sailors. He jumped up on the rail and smirked at the men.

"Thanks for the ride, guys!" he laughed, jumping down onto the docks and running again. He jumped up onto a lamp post, hanging from it by his tail, with a banana.

"Wow…" Aurora muttered, before the detective and officer from earlier rushed by. Aurora looked back at the Dust shop, noticing it was completely empty, and walked back that way, leaving the rest of Team RWABY to watch monkey boy.

She didn't stay long, only doing a quick sweep. Inside, she found a few strands of red hair, more cigar ash, and a camera that looked like it was blasted by mini-canon shot.

 _(Definitely Torchwick…)_ Aurora thought, slipping under the police tape and quickly making her way back to the rest of the team. She saw them running down the street, and ran after them.

"Uuuuuuh, Weiss?" Yang said, just as Aurora turned the corner. Weiss was on her hands and knees on the ground, next to a girl with red hair and shockingly green eyes.

"Ah!" Weiss gasped, shooting to her feet. The girl stayed laying on the ground.

A frown formed on Aurora's face as she looked at the girl. _(I sense… light from her. But it's… different. More hollow?)_

"Salutations!" the girl said brightly.

"Um… hello," Ruby said.

"Are you… okay?" Yang asked.

"I'm wonderful. Thank you for asking," she said.

The five exchanged looks.

"Do you… wanna get up?" Aurora asked, leaning forward and offering her hand. The girl seemed to think about it for a moment.

"Yes." She suddenly jumped to her feet, not needing help at all, and turned to the girls. All of Team RWABY took a step back from her, and Aurora got a good look at her. She was wearing mostly gray and beige, as well as black and green. She even had a pink bow in her hair.

"My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny said.

"Hi Penny. I'm Ruby."

"I'm Weiss."

"I'm Aurora."

"Blake."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked. Blake, who's arms were crossed, suddenly smacked her and crossed her arms again. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny said brightly.

"You already said that," Weiss pointed out.

The gears in her head seemed to stall for a moment. "So I did!" she finally said with a smile.

"Well, sorry for running into you," Weiss said as the five turned away.

"Take care, friend!" Ruby called as she followed the rest of the group.

"She was… weird," Yang commented.

"Oh be nice," Aurora said, jabbing at the blond playfully with her elbow.

"Now, where did that faunus riffraff run off to," Weiss said, looking around.

The group looked forward, only to freeze. Penny was standing right in front of them.

"What did you call me?" she asked.

Weiss looked freaked out as she looked between the odd girl and the direction they just came from.

"Oh, I'm really sorry. I definitely didn't think you heard me," Yang said.

"Told you," Aurora muttered.

"No, not you," Penny said, brushing by her blonds and stopping in front of Ruby. "You!"

"Me!?" Ruby asked, sounding panicked as the girl leaned into her personal space. "I-I don't know, I—what I—um, uh—" she stammered.

"You called me 'friend.' Am I really your friend?" Penny asked.

 _(Oh god…)_ Aurora thought. Normally, she'd be all for making new friends, but Penny… gave her a weird vibe. Probably due to the strange sensation of 'hollow' light from her heart.

That's why she found herself shaking her head vigorously along with the rest of Team RWABY behind Penny's back when Ruby looked at them for help.

"Yeah, sure! Why not?" Ruby said. Penny laughed as the rest of Team RWABY face palmed.

"Sen-sational!" she cheered. "We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys, like the one in her locket!" Penny said, pointing over her shoulder at Aurora.

 _(Whoa, de ja—WAIT!)_ Aurora put her hand to the star locket on her choker, only to find that it had popped open.

"No, wait, he is off limits!" she said, quickly closing the locket again.

"Oh, is this what it was like when you met me?" Ruby muttered to Weiss. Meanwhile, Yang had shot over to Aurora and was trying to open her locket again.

"You never said anything about a cute boy!" the blond said. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"Yesh, but… ack! Yang! Stop it!" Aurora cried, blushing and trying to fight her off.

Yang managed to unclip the locket and was looking at the picture. Blake was next to her.

"Ooooh! Look at how young you look," Yang teased.

"He is cute though," Blake said approvingly.

"What's his name?" Yang asked.

"Riku." Aurora snatched the locket back, her face a deep crimson, and clipped it back to her choker, turning to Penny and trying to ignore the snickers from Yang and Blake.

"So, what are you doing in Vale?" she asked, so as to take Yang's and Blake's attention off of her. It worked.

"I'm here to fight in the tournament," Penny said.

"Wait… you're fighting in the tournament?" Weiss asked.

"I'm combat ready!" Penny said brightly, saluting her.

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part."

"Says the girl wearing a dress," Blake pointed out.

"It's a 'combat skirt'!" Weiss said, crossing her arms. Ruby darted over next to her.

"Yeah!" she said, her own arms crossed. The two high fived.

 _(That was strange…)_

"Wait a minute…" Weiss suddenly said, walking over to Penny. "If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed…rapscallion?" she asked, grabbing Penny's shoulders.

"The who?" she asked. Weiss pulled her closer, showing her a badly drawn picture.

"The filthy faunus from the boat!" she said.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Blake suddenly demanded, her voice louder then Aurora had ever heard it before.

"Huh?" Weiss asked, letting go of Penny and turning to her teammate.

"Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate. He's a person!" Blake yelled.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Weiss took an aggressive step towards Blake, forgetting all about Penny. "Would you like me to stop referring to the trashcan as a trashcan, or this lamppost as a lamppost?" she demanded, motioning to each object.

"Stop it!" Blake yelled.

"Stop what!?" Weiss demanded. "He clearly broke the law. Give him time, he'll probably join up with those other faunus in the White Fang."

Blake growled, her hands clenching into fists. "You ignorant little brat!" she spat, before walking away.

"How dare you talk to me like that!? I'm your teammate!" Weiss yelled, walking after her. Blake stopped, turning on the girl.

"You are a judgmental little girl," Blake snarled.

"What in the world makes you say that?"

"Uh… I think we should probably go," Yang said to Ruby and Aurora.

"Where are we going?" Penny suddenly asked.

 _(Oh shoot, I forgot she was there…)_

The argument continued all the way back to Beacon, and even to the dorm room.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem," Weiss suddenly said from where she sat on her bed.

"That _is_ the problem!" Blake replied from her own bed. Ruby, Aurora, and Yang meanwhile, stood to the side, looking between the two like a tennis match.

Weiss stood. "You realize you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you? The faunus of the White Fang are pure evil."

"There's no such thing as 'pure evil'! Why do you think they hate humanity so much?" Blake exploded, jumping to her own feet. "It's because of people like Cardin," she started, talking about the bully of the first years, "people like _you_ that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"

 _(Wait…)_ Realization started to dawn on Aurora as she looked at Blake in a new light. _(She knows too much about the motivations behind this supposed 'terrorist' group…)_

"People like me?" Weiss demanded.

"You're discriminatory!"

"I'm a victim!" Weiss suddenly demanded, wrenching Aurora's thoughts away from Blake and to the white-haired girl. It was silent for a moment, until Weiss started talking again.

"You want to know _why_ I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the faunus?" Weiss said, her voice dangerous. She walked over to the window. "It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War. As in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear. Board members? Executed." Her voice started to get thick. "An entire train car full of Dust… stolen." She paused for a moment. "And every day, my father would come home furious," her voice was steady again. "And that would make for a very. Difficult. Childhood."

Ruby walked over to the girl, reaching for her shoulder. "Weiss, I—"

"No!" Weiss spun around, stalking back over to Blake, ignoring Ruby. "You want to know why I despise the White Fang!?" she yelled at her. "It's because they're a bunch of liars! Thieves! And murderers!"

"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake suddenly yelled. Weiss recoiled from her, and the other three girls stared in shock. Blake's face fell as she realized what she just said. "I-I…" She backed up until she ran into her set of bunkbeds, then shot out the door.

"Blake! Wait! Come back!" Ruby yelled after her. Yang and Aurora turned to look at Weiss, who was looking at the ground with a small frown.

She didn't return the rest of the night. Worried and unable to sleep, Aurora sat on her bed, watching the door. An hour or two after the sun rose, Ruby sat up in her own bed with a yawn, and looked around.

"She's still gone," Aurora said softly. Ruby sighed in worry.

…

"She's been gone all weekend," Ruby said as the four remaining members of Team RWABY walked through Vale.

"Blake's a big girl. I'm sure she can handle herself," Weiss said, not sounding worried at all.

"Weiss, come on. She's one of our teammates," Yang said as Aurora grinded her teeth together. She had grown to respect Weiss, even like her, once she declared to become the best teammate Ruby would ever have, but with every word that came out of her mouth this weekend, that was quickly going down the drain.

 _(I know the White Fang has hurt her and her family, but what reason has Blake given to not trust her before now? Ugh!)_

"Is she? We all heard what she said," Weiss replied.

"Weiss," Ruby said in warning.

"Maybe she is, maybe she isn't," Yang sighed.

"Either way, she's missing, and we need to find her," Aurora said. "Besides, she's not a bad person."

"And how would you know. She fooled us all!" Weiss snapped.

"Because I can just tell!" Aurora replied. _(The light and darkness in her heart are very balanced. There's no way someone with a heart like that is a terrorist.)_

"Whatever. A member of the White Fang. Right underneath our noses!" Weiss sighed.

"I just hope she's okay," Ruby said in worry.

Ruby, Yang, and Aurora decided to search the town, with Weiss in tow.

"Blaaaaaake!" Ruby cried.

"Blake!" Aurora yelled.

"Blaaaaake!?" Yang called.

"Blaaaake!? Where are you!?" Ruby tried again.

"Blake!" Yang tried again, just as Ruby turned on the heiress.

"Weiss, you're not helping!" she snapped.

"Oh! You know who might be able to help?" Weiss suddenly said. "The police!"

"Ugh, Weiss…" Ruby growled, crossing her arms.

"It was just an idea!" Weiss snapped.

"Yeah, a bad one," Ruby said. Aurora sighed at that.

"Weiss, I think we should hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions," Yang said.

"I think when we hear it, you'll all realize I was right," Weiss said.

"I think you need to cut her some slack. It seems like you're not the only one who had it rough growing up," Aurora said, remembering back to when they first met Blake, and how pessimistically she had said that 'real life isn't like the fairytales.' Weiss shot her a look, before those two followed after the sisters.

"And I think Weiss's hair looks wonderful today!" a voice suddenly said from behind. The group jumped, turning quickly.

"Ahh! Penny! Where did you come from!?" Ruby cried.

"Hey guys. What are you up to?" the odd girl asked, ignoring Ruby's question.

"Uuuuuh…." Ruby said.

"We're looking for our friend, Blake," Yang said.

"Oooooh! You mean the faunus girl!" Penny said. The four stared at her.

"Wait. How did you know that?" Ruby asked.

"Uh, the cat ears?" Penny said, pointing to the top of her head.

"What cat ears?" Yang asked.

"She wears a… bow…" Aurora trailed off as the four looked at each other, realization dawning on them. "Oh."

"She does like tuna a lot," Ruby suddenly whispered to Yang and Aurora.

"So, where is she?" Penny asked.

"We don't know. She's been missing since Friday," Ruby said.

Penny suddenly gasped, rushing over to Ruby and grabbing her shoulders. "That's terrible! Well don't you worry Ruby, my friend. I won't rest until we find your teammate."

"Uh, that's really nice of you Penny, uh, but we're-we're okay. Really. Right guys?" Ruby said, turning to the team.

"Right…" Aurora said, only for the other two not to answer. "Huh?" she looked over to see those two gone, leaving her and Ruby alone with Penny.

"Guess we're… splitting up…" Aurora muttered.

Ruby sighed, and glanced at Aurora who shrugged. "Well, alright, Penny. Let's get looking," she said. After a bit of searching, Penny began talking again.

"So, Blake is your friend?" she asked.

"Yes, Penny," both Aurora and Ruby said after simultaneous sighs.

"But you're mad at her?" Penny asked.

"Yes! W-well, we're not," Ruby said.

"Weiss is," Aurora added.

"Is _she_ friends with Blake?"

"Well, that's kind of up in the air right now," Ruby admitted.

"But, why?" Penny asked.

"Because Blake might not be who we thought she was," Aurora admitted.

Penny gasped. "Is she a man…?"

"No! No, Penny, she's not—I don't know what she is," Ruby said.

"She didn't exactly talk to us before she decided to run off," Aurora said.

"I don't have a lot of friends," Penny admitted. "But if I did, I would want them to talk to me about things."

"Me, too," Ruby said, before they began walking again.

It soon grew dark, and there was still no luck. Aurora sighed.

"This—" she cut off as a blizzard like chill stole over her.

"Aurora?" Ruby asked.

"I…. I have to go check something out. Don't follow me!" she yelled, taking off.

"Aurora, wait!" Ruby called, but the young attorney was already gone.

…

 _(Not here. Not now!)_ she thought, recognizing the chill and knowing exactly who she was going to find at the source.

She wasn't disappointed.

The man in the Black Coat stood in the middle of a deserted road, as though waiting for her.

"Forgetting your original mission?" he asked.

"Shut up!" Aurora yelled, activating her shield. The man scoffed. "The people here need help too."

"Hmph. The light, always shinning on the darkness, dispelling it," the man said, shaking his head. "So naive. You, of all people, should know that light begets darkness. Makes it grow stronger, and attracts it. Take Riku, for example."

"Riku?" Aurora gasped, taken off guard. The man chuckled.

"Yes. He is surrounded by light. Friends with a boy like Sora, and close to Kairi, a Princess of Heart… Romantically involved with someone as light as you. Heh. It's no wonder his darkness is so strong, and growing each day. One day soon, it'll consume him once more. Are you sure you're not putting him at risk?" he asked. Aurora bit her lip, her dream springing to mind.

 _(H-he's right. Light does draw out darkness. But…)_ A determined frown crossed the girl's face as she placed a hand over her locket.

"Riku is strong. He's overcame his darkness and wields it with more skill then you ever could. He won't be consumed by it again. And I'm going to make sure of it," she said.

"Hmph. Fine. You'll see," the man said.

Before Aurora could reply, there was an explosion from the direction of the docks. She looked over to see black smoke rising into the sky. "No…"

"Hmph. Seems your friends here are in a little trouble of their own…" the man said calmly. Aurora turned back to him, clenching her teeth in anger. "But you have a few of your own things to deal with. It's time to get your priorities straight." He rose his hand, and it flashed with a purple light.

Sirens suddenly went off around the city, and a Heartless Ursa ran into view, charging straight at the two of them.

"These 'Heartless Grimm' are quite fascinating. They're much harder to control… but oh so easy to attract," the man said, before vanishing through a dark portal. Aurora turned to where the Heartless Ursa was bearing down on her, turned, and ran.

 _(I have to get it out of the city before it causes a panic…)_ she thought, weaving her way through the streets.

With each explosion from the docks, Aurora's worry grew for the rest of Team RWABY. After her talk with Black Coat, her worry about Riku was even stronger. Despite her words, her recurring nightmare came right to the forefront of her mind.

And now, with the Ursa on her tail, she was scared. It was huge, much bigger than the ones they faced in the Emerald Forest, and much older, showed by the amount of white armor it had, and spikes arching from its back.

It's no wonder the beast followed her all the way out of the city and into the forest.

"Alright… here goes nothing…" Aurora took a deep breath and spun around, only for the Ursa to swing its clawed paw. Aurora only had time to raise her shield. She blocked the strike, but was thrown aside, her left arm throbbing.

"Ugh…" Aurora groaned, pushing herself up. The Ursa charged at her, and Aurora rolled to the side, using an _Aerora_ spell to push it further away. She quickly pushed herself to her feet, just as the Ursa charged once more.

"Grrr… _STOPRA!_ " she yelled. White light shone from her shield, and a clock face of white light appeared under the Ursa, the hands frozen. The Ursa froze mid-paw swing, and Aurora dove forward, cloaking her shield in Water magic. She slashed at it a few times before jumping back, just as the white clock face disappeared, and the Ursa finished its paw swing. The Ursa roared in rage, and rushed forward.

" _Stupify!_ " Aurora yelled. Red light shot from her shield and hit the beast, tossing it backwards. She quickly shot forward and slashed a few more times with her water blade, before jumping back, panting.

The Heartless Ursa stood with a growl, its red and yellow eyes burning as it glared at Aurora. Aurora, for her part, stood up straight.

 _(It's like my attacks aren't even effecting it that much!)_ she thought in fear. The Ursa rushed forward, charging at Aurora, who tried to dodge to the side. The Ursa, however, lashed out to the side with its paw, grabbing Aurora, and slamming her into a tree. She cried out in pain and slid down.

That's when she remembered something from Professor Port's class.

…

" _When fighting the Creatures of Grimm, a Huntsman or Huntress must calm their mind. If worry and fear are overruling all other thoughts, the Grimm will sense that. And that, in turn, will make the Grimm stronger."_

…

 _(That's it! Between my worry for the team, and Riku… I'm only giving it strength!)_ Aurora rolled away from another strike, and took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. _(Team RWABY is okay. They're strong. They can handle whatever is happening down at the docks. I mean, heck, look at what we managed to do to the Heartless Nevermore!)_ she told herself with a smile. The Grimm rushed at her again and swung.

" _Reflega!"_ she yelled, before putting her right hand against the inside. " _Firaga!"_ the shield took on a red tint, just before the Ursa's claw slammed down onto it. The shield exploded in a fiery burst, and the Ursa recoiled with a roar of pain.

"Yes!" Aurora cheered, before smirking. " _Zero Gravira!"_ she called. Purple light surrounded the Heartless Ursa, lifting it into the air. Aurora shot forward, cloaking her shield in water magic, and used it to slash at the beast a few times.

Just as the Zero Gravity spell wore off, Aurora stabbed the water blade straight up, into the exposed part of the Heartless Ursa's throat. Dropped by gravity, it fell even deeper onto her blade.

Almost immediately, it began to fade into black smoke, and a large heart floated up from its back. Aurora dropped to her hands and knees, panting hard. Once catching her breath, she reached into her bag for her Scroll, wanting to call team RWABY, but it wasn't there. She glanced around to see the device, shattered into pieces, on the ground near the tree she had been pinned to.

Then she noticed the Star Shard was glowing. With a sigh, she pulled it out, staring at it.

"Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang… sorry guys," she breathed, just as the light enveloped her. "I promise; I will be back." The light shot into the sky, taking Aurora with it.

…

Lea searched the entirety of the castle, but without any luck. Finally, he returned to the Study.

"Where are they? I've turned this castle upside down," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. In the study were just Ienzo and Aeleus, doing their own searching.

"Hey. Are the other two still out cold?" he asked.

"Dilan and Even are conscious again," Aeleus said from where he knelt in front of one of the bookshelves. "But still unstable. They're resting now."

"Gotcha. Well, I guess I'll give the castle grounds a sweep," Lea said, turning to leave.

"Don't. If they were back, we would have found them by now," Aeleus said.

"Hmm. So, do ya think they were blasted off to some other world, or what?" he asked, still holding onto hope.

"I highly doubt it," Ienzo said from where he was pouring over a book at the desk. "When someone who's lost their heart is recompleted, they should return to the place where it happened," he explained. "And if that world is unavailable for whatever reason, a refuge is made for them in the realm between—a world called 'Traverse Town.' They would be sent there." As he spoke, Lea paced around the room, finally stopping in front of the portrait of Xehanort, where it still sat on the floor where Tifa moved it almost a year ago. "Or perhaps—"

"No, look, okay," Lea said, cutting Ienzo off. "The fact is, we're here. We've been recompleted, right? So they should be here too—plain and simple."

"I agree, it is strange," Ienzo mused. Lea let out a sigh, turning to the other two.

"What a drag. Could they not have been recompleted at all?" he asked.

"Well, you see—" Ienzo began.

"Ah, forget it," Lea said, turning to the schematic on the wall that had once been hidden by the painting. "You know what? I'll bring 'em back myself," he decided.

"Huh? How, exactly?" Ienzo asked. Even Aeleus stood and turned to the man, curious. Lea didn't look back at them, still studying the diagram.

"Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?" he asked ironically, before smirking.

…

Jeremy drove his long lost nephew straight to his parents' house, calling his wife, Astrea, who met them there.

As soon as she opened the door, Edym's mother, Gwen… fainted. Thankfully, Edym caught her before she hit the ground, and they quickly moved her inside. When she came to, she threw her arms around him, sobbing. Hank, Edym's father, hugged them as well.

"We thought you were dead! AURORA thought you were dead!" Edym winced at the mention of his baby sister, remembering the last time they had seen each other, he had faded in her arms. "Oh my baby boy! You're home, and you're safe!" Gwen continued to sob.

"Son…" Hank started, pulling away from the hug, but keeping his hand on the young man's back. "How'd you get away from that cult?"

"Wait, 'cult'?" Edym asked, confused. "There was no cult…"

"Oh no… you don't think they managed to brainwash him, do you?" Jeremy asked.

"Wait, what? No… there was no cult! I mean… okay, the Organization was a little like a cult, but… I only joined them because they promised to help me regain my heart and become whole again…"

Silence met his words.

"Didn't… Aurora tell you any of this?" he asked.

"No…" Hank said slowly.

"Oh… wait… the rules," Edym muttered to himself, belatedly remembering them. He then shrugged. "Oh well." With that, he began to tell his parents, aunt, and uncle everything that happened.

Losing his heart, joining the Organization and learning of the existence of other worlds, as well as gaining abilities, the missions, Aurora's capture, then escape, the Organization keeping him in line by threatening her, then finally, his defeat.

"I guess, in the end… our hearts were just waiting for our bodies and souls to return to the Dark Realm to recombine. It's strange, really," Edym laughed. "I can still feel my Sitar and water controlling abilities there. I wonder if they'll always be a part of me?"

More silence met his words as the four adults stared at him.

"Edym… maybe you hit your head or something…" Hank finally said, moving closer to look at his son's head. Edym's face fell.

"You don't believe me? Wait, I'll prove it!" he stood and moved back from the adults. Suddenly, in a burst of bubbles, his Sitar appeared.

"Dance, Water, Dance!" he called, playing a quick riff on the strings. A small water clone, just one, appeared in front of him, playing silently on a water version of the sitar.

All four gasped in surprise, before Edym allowed both clone and Sitar vanish.

"So… where's Aurora?" he finally asked.

"She's in Los Angeles with Phoenix," Jeremy said, his eyes glued to the spot where the water clone had stood.

"Well, actually, the Legal League of Attorneys sent her abroad to study international law," Hank reminded his brother.

"Oh yeah…" Jeremy mused.

"Speaking of Phoenix, he probably knew!" Gwen suddenly exploded, jumping up and stalking over to the phone, picking it up. She punched in a number and put it to her ear.

"Hello, Phoenix. We need to talk."

…

 **A/N:** Yes, I named Phoenix's mother after a Greek Goddess always associated with the god of Justice.

Also, Gwen is a scary mother.

Ugh… I did not expect this to run on as long as it did. I broke 20,000 words. *collapses*


	5. Aincrad

**A/N:** I'm back for another chapter guys! And this is the Sword Art Online chapter! Yay! Also, thanks for all of the support you guys. It's great to see so many of my readers care!

If any of you want to see my AMAZING website, go to maryejones . webs . com (type that into your address bar without the spaces).

Finally, sorry for the wait. This chapter took a LOT longer to write then I thought it would, and I've been busy with moving and getting my life together. But I plan to work on this/update once a week. So hopefully I can stick to that!

Okay, Review reply to Gamergirl!

It's quite alright! Look at how long it took me to update, haha. I'm glad you're enjoying ti though, and I'm happy you liked the RWBY world. Hopefully you enjoy this one as well! Yeah, you get to see the result of that call here… Thanks for the support! And hopefully the next chapter goes up faster! (That one's based off of a movie, not a show, so hopefully it'll be a little shorter).

Alright, now, ONWARDS!

…

Chapter Five: Aincrad

Aurora slammed into the ground with a groan. She slowly rolled onto her back and looked up. Trees arched above her, blocking out her view of the sky. A sigh escaped her.

"Reeeeeeaaaaally need to work on those landings," she muttered, turning her head to look at the Star Shard.

It wasn't in her hand.

In fact, her clothes were different too.

Rather than the teal vest and black undershirt, she was wearing a long sleeve, light green tunic and black fingerless gloves. Sitting up, she found she was also wearing a leather breast plate, also black, a dark brown, thick leather belt, a black skirt, and black leather boots. The ribbon, her shield wrist band, the class ring, her bag, and her choker were all gone.

Aurora immediately leapt to her feet, searching for her things, but with no luck.

That's when she heard the snort from behind. She turned and found herself face to face… with a giant blue boar. It snorted again, stomped its foot, and charged at her.

Aurora jumped to the side, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

"Stay back!" she snapped at it, but with no luck. The beast snarled and charged once more. Aurora threw herself to the side, and the boar slammed into one of the trees.

Suddenly, a dark purple, elongated hexagon appeared in front of the tree.

' _Immortal Object'_ was written on the panel in lighter purple words.

"Wh-what?"

Aurora didn't have much more time to think about it, though, before the boar recovered and attacked again.

That's when Aurora noticed something else she hadn't seen before.

There was a light green bar above the boar, and right above the bar were the words _'Wild Boar.'_ Aurora dodged this attack, throwing herself to the side, and jumped to her feet, running hard.

Her eyes flickered around, trying to find a way out of the woods, while also watching for other monsters, when something in the upper-left hand side of her peripheral caught her attention.

It was another green bar, one that looked a lot like a Hit Points bar. There was a single word next to it.

Her name.

"No way," she breathed, equal parts excited and terrified. "Am I… in a video game!?"

…

Aurora managed to escape the Wild Boar, and avoid any more confrontations, until she finally made it to a town. As she approached it, words appeared in front of her.

 _~Town of Beginnings~_

 _(Is this an MMO?)_ she wondered, walking into the town. Hundreds of people moved around her. Most had green diamonds floating above their heads, but some had yellow. The weirdest part though, was the lack of hearts she sensed.

These people, the ones with green above their heads, were most likely players, going by how they acted compared to the ones with yellow. But even from them, she couldn't sense anything.

 _(Probably because they're just game avatars, and not actual people. If I am in a video game. Hmmm... If so, there has to be a way to pull up my menu, right?)_ Aurora sat on the side of a water fountain and carefully watched the people around her, until she noticed someone lift their right hand, index and ring fingers pointed, and bring their hand down, almost like they were sliding those two fingers against an invisible screen in front of them. A white screen appeared in front of them.

"Aha!" she breathed, copying the motion. A white screen appeared in front of her, and she smirked. To the side of that were white circles. She quickly scrolled through them, getting acquainted with the menu, before checking her inventory first.

There, she found "Star Shard" and "Star Choker" under key items, making her sigh in relief. She then found her stock of potions under consumables, and "Wrist Shield" under equipment. Along with the armor she was wearing.

"Psh, newbie armor. At least my shield is pretty strong," she muttered, before glancing down at her money. Col seemed like the currency used and—

Aurora gasped at the number. It was a large amount. Much bigger than any starting amount she'd ever seen in any other video game before.

 _(Wait… that's how much I had in Munny!)_ she thought, before smirking slightly. _(Perfect. I can buy better equipment, and maybe a staff to enhance my magic. Then… I have to figure out why the Star Shard bought me here…)_

Aurora equipped her shield, then checked her stats. Due to her fighting experience, which transferred to the game just like her munny did, she was already at level 38. Her strength and defense weren't that high, but her agility, dexterity, stealth, and luck were. Aurora quickly scanned it, trying to find her Magic and Resistance stats… but there were none.

"Hm?"

She left the stats menu and entered the lore one, picking the game subsection, and quickly skimming it. Phrases jumped out at her.

… _first Virtual Reality MMO to utilize the Full Dive technology…_

… _no magic…_

… _must complete all 100 floors to exit the game alive…_

 _(Wait, what?)_ Aurora quickly looked back at that section.

 _Sword Art Online is different from many of its predecessors in one other major way. Players must complete all 100 floors to exit the game alive. If a player's HP drops to 0, it is game over, both in SAO and real life. The same thing happens if someone tries to remove the Full Dive technology from a player._

"Oh god," Aurora breathed, looking up and around at the people. There was no way to tell how old or young the people were, unless this Full Dive tech made them look here as they did in real life.

In which case… there were people of all ages trapped in this game. Including _kids_. Aurora shook her head and looked back at her menu.

 _(So, magic is out. But if I'm at level 38, then I probably know some of these 'sword skills.')_ She opened that menu and skimmed through it, before nodding to herself and standing.

Her first stop was a Weapons shop. She bought the most powerful dagger they had, then went to an armor shop, where she bought a silver chest plate, silver greaves, and something called the Stealth Cloak. She grabbed a few accessories as well. Quickly equipping her new outfit, she looked down at herself.

The Chest Plate was very form fitting, hugging her figure. Over her breasts was a thin silver metal that flashed as the light caught it. The greaves were a pair of black pants with silver boots and shin guards. The cloak was black with silver stars and crescent moons, and a deep hood to hid her face when she had it up. The armor raised her defense quite a lot, and the cloak raised her stealth a staggering amount. Around her waist was a black belt with a silver dagger sheathed at her left hip.

Aurora felt ready to take on this new world.

…

After practicing her sword skills, learning the mechanics of this world, and leveling up to 40 using the boars that haunted the woods around the Town of Beginnings, Aurora used the Teleport gate to go to the highest open floor, floor 59.

The weather… was beautiful. It was bright and sunny out, with a faint breeze causing the grass to sway. Aurora took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment, before walking forward. There was a small village, and it was there that Aurora went first. She spent some time there, leaning about the assault team, before deciding to back track to floor 57, going to a restaurant that she heard nothing but good about.

The place was busy, full of players and NPCs alike. Most were glancing over at a couple that sat in the corner. It was a red-haired girl wearing white and red armor, and a black-haired boy wearing a black trench coat, with a sword on his back.

"That's Asuna from the Knights of the Blood Oath!" a boy at the table next to Aurora's muttered. Aurora herself glanced up curiously as the guys at the next table continued talking.

"Really?" his friend asked.

"Yeah, they call her the Lightning Flash," the first boy said.

 _(Fame in an MMO. Must be more common when you're trapped in said MMO…)_ Aurora thought, ordering food from the NPC waitress.

"Who's the shady looking guy dressed in black?" the boy's friend asked.

The two in the corner seemed to be having an awkward conversation, though Aurora wasn't sure if it was awkward due to everyone in the restaurant staring at them, or the tension that seemed to be hovering between the two of them.

Suddenly, there was a scream from outside the building. Aurora jumped up from her seat.

 _(Heartless!?)_ she thought frantically, rushing outside. She felt Asuna and the guy right behind her.

But it wasn't Heartless they saw.

A man in full armor was hanging from the side of a building by a rope around his neck. A blood red sword stuck from his chest, and his HP was quickly dropping. The man clutched at the blade, his eyes wide with shock under his helmet, painful gasps erupting from him.

"Oh god," Aurora gasped, her hands covering her mouth, her eyes huge. Asuna and the guy ran ahead of her. Aurora took a deep breath and quickly followed after them.

"Hurry, pull it out!" the boy yelled. The man slowly looked down at him, before trying to do as he said.

No luck. The sword was embedded deep in his chest, and if the visible blade was any indication, the sword was barbed along its length.

"I'll cut him down, you catch him," Asuna said to the guy, before disappearing into the building. Aurora stepped forward.

"I'll help," she said. The guy glanced at her, before nodding, and the two ran to right under where the man was hanging.

"Help's on the way!" the guy called.

"Just try to stay awake!" Aurora yelled.

The man struggled with pulling the sword out, yelling out in pain.

"Dammit!" the guy gasped. Aurora looked back at the man's HP.

"He's not going to make it," she said softly.

"He will. Asuna will get him down, then we can help him," the guy said furiously.

The man screamed in pain, then suddenly went limp. A second later, his body vanished into bluish-green lights, and the red, barbed sword dropped to the ground, landing right at Aurora's and the boy's feet.

The watching crowd gasped in shock, and many people stumbled back from the deadly sword. A scream erupted.

"Towns are usually safe zones!" Aurora gasped, thinking about every other MMO she'd ever played.

"The only way he could have died in a safe zone is if he were beaten in a dual," the boy said. Aurora's eyes widened, and she whirled around, quickly searching the crowd.

"Everyone! Look for the player with the winner icon!" the boy yelled.

"There's no one here! The room's empty!" Asuna yelled from above. Aurora shook her head, seeing only green diamonds and HP bars.

"I don't see anything. You?" she asked, turning to the boy. He shook his head.

"Let's get upstairs," he said, picking up the red sword. Aurora nodded and followed him up to where Asuna was. The rope was tied off to a chair.

"So, any idea how this could have happened?" he asked.

"Well, there's always the obvious," Asuna said. "There was a dual, and the other guy impaled him with that sword. Then he put a noose around his neck and pushed him out the window."

Aurora crossed her arms.

"Yeah, but… that seems a little excessive, just to win a dual, or even to kill someone, doesn't it?" Aurora asked. The other two turned to her.

"Who are you, anyway?" Asuna asked.

"Ah, sorry. I'm Aurora. I'm not part of a guild," she said.

"Asuna, of the Knights of the Blood Oath," Asuna said.

"Kirito. Solo player," the guy said. "And Aurora's right. Plus, I couldn't see the winner icon on anyone."

Asuna uncrossed her arms, pushing off of the wall she was leaning against. "It had to be a dual. It's a safe zone, and a player _died_. A dual's the only thing it could have been."

Silence fell over the trio. Aurora studied the rope.

"But… _why_. Why go through all of this?" she muttered to herself. The people outside were still talking in panicky tones. Everyone was scared.

"Or… maybe it wasn't a dual. Either way, we can't ignore this," Asuna added, glancing out at the people in the courtyard.

"I know," Kirito said.

"As it is, a player takes huge risks going _outside_ a safe zone. But if someone's found a way to PK _inside_ , no one's going to be safe in the towns either," Asuna said.

"And there are some people in the towns who just _can't_ fight," Aurora added, thinking of the kids she saw back in the Town of Beginnings.

"Yeah, you're right," Kirito said.

"I guess me and you won't be going back to the front lines any time soon," Asuna said to the boy.

"I'll help with your investigation," Aurora added, smiling slightly. "It's… kind of something I do," she added.

"Your help will be appreciated," Asuna said with a smile, before walking over to Kitito. "Listen," she said to him, holding out her hand. "You're going to work with us until we solve this thing. There's going to be no time for napping."

"Okay," Kirito said, taking her hand. "But you were the one napping."

Asuna gritted her teeth and twisted the boy's hand, causing him to cry out in pain. Aurora winced slightly at that, before shaking her head.

"Maybe we should team up?" she suggested. Kirito sighed softly, but Asuna nodded, quickly sending out the invites. Aurora hit accept, and, after a moment's hesitation, so did Kirito.

The three of them then exited the building, where the crowd was still waiting for them.

"Listen up!" Kirito called, still nursing his hand. "Did anyone see what happened before that player died?"

"If someone did, please speak up!" Aurora called. "We need all the information on this that we can get!"

The crowd muttered amongst themselves for a few minutes, before a girl with purple hair stepped forward.

"Sorry, I can imagine how frightened you are," Asuna said gently once the girl was right in front of them. "Could you tell us your name?"

"Sure," the girl said shakily. "My name is Yolko."

"Was that you… I mean, were you the one who screamed?" Kirito asked.

"Um, uh-huh," the girl said.

"Did you happen to know the victim?" Aurora asked softly. The girl turned to her, bringing her hands up in front of her mouth. She nodded.

"Y-yes…. His name was Caynz. The two of us used to belong to the same guild…." She looked down, tears pooling in her eyes. "W-we came here together today. We were going to have dinner somewhere in town…" Tears streamed down her face. "But we got separated in the Plaza! I looked around for him. And I saw him hanging from that balcony, and-!" her voice grew more shaky until she cut off, covering her mouth in an attempt to muffle a sob. Asuna moved closer, rubbing the girl's back, while Aurora closed her eyes.

 _(Whoever did that to him will pay…)_ she thought darkly.

"Was there anyone else up there?" Asuna asked softly.

"For a second there… I'm not sure… but I think I did see someone standing behind Caynz…" the girl said, her voice muffled behind her hands. Asuna looked up at Aurora and Kirito, and nodded slightly. Aurora stepped forward slightly.

"Had you ever seen this person before?" she asked. Yolko looked up at her, and Aurora reeled slightly.

The tears were gone.

After a hesitation that seemed just a moment too long, Yolko shook her head no.

"Um, I know this is hard for you, but think back and try to remember," Kirito said. "Could there be someone, anyone, with a reason to kill him?"

Yolko's eyes widened in fear. Aurora frowned and shook her head at herself. _(The tears are probably gone due to this being a virtual world. The hesitation was probably just a moment of lag…)_ she thought in irritation at herself.

Yolko closed her eyes and shook her head again, this time a little more vigorously.

…

A little while later found the trio with Yolko in front of one of the many inns.

"Thank you for walking me back," the girl said. "Sorry if it's out of your way."

"No worries," Asuna said. "We'd like to talk to you again tomorrow. If you're feeling up to it."

"Okay," the girl muttered. She bowed to them, then closed the door.

"So, what do we do?" Kirito asked, looking at the two girls.

"Simple. We follow the only clue we have," Aurora said. "After all, we have the murder weapon. If we find out where it came from, we can find the killer."

Both of them looked at her.

"You've done this before," Asuna suddenly said. Aurora blinked at her, then giggled slightly.

"Alright, you caught me. I'm a Defense Attorney I-R-L," she said. "I liked to investigate the crimes myself though."

"Really? But you're so young," Kirito said.

"I didn't say I had a lot of cases under my belt. But I interned with my cousin while in high school, and he would take me on his investigations."

"Oh…" Asuna muttered. Kirito, on the other hand, was studying the sword in his menu.

"We'll need to find someone with an appraisal skill. I mean… it's pretty obvious neither of you have one," he added.

"Nope," Aurora said.

"And neither do you," Asuna added icily. Aurora smirked slightly at that. Asuna stopped. "Oh, and by the way, try not to be so rude when you're speaking to us," she demanded. Kirito stopped and looked at her in surprise.

"Oh! Uh, okay, should I call you two 'miss'?" he demanded.

"Keep me out of your lover's spat," Aurora said, walking forward, not hearing the rest of their conversation. The two of them caught up to her, both blushing.

"W-well, back to the appraisal skill. Do either of you know anyone who has it?" he asked.

"I don't," Aurora said.

"Hmm…" Asuna hummed. "I've got a friend who does," she finally said. "A weapons merchant. But she's really busy these days, so I don't think she'll have time to help us…"

"No worries. I happen to know an items merchant who might be able to help us out," Kirito suddenly said, as though just remembering.

The trio quickly moved to floor 50, and into an alleyway. They stopped as a door opened, and a man carrying a spear walked out.

"Thanks my man! Come back any time!" a friendly voice called from inside. The man with the spear sighed.

"Yeah," he muttered dejectedly. Kirito lead the way in.

"Looks like you're still running down all the suckers with those hard deals of yours," he called. A tall, muscular black man, bald, stood and turned to the door.

"No way. Kirito?" They met at the counter. "Buy cheap and sell cheap. That's my motto. I'm a business man. You know that."

"That selling cheap part is a lie though," Kirito said as the two fist-bumped.

"Don't go slandering my good name, brother," the merchant—clearly not an NPC—said.

He then noticed the two girls standing behind Kirito, gasped, and yanked him halfway over and behind the counter. The two girls giggled weakly at the loud whispering from the merchant.

A few minutes later, the four of them were in the storage room of the shop.

"His HP dropped to zero in a safe zone?" the merchant, Agil, asked in surprise. Between them, on the table, was the red barbed sword. "You sure it wasn't a dual?"

"Well, no one saw a winner icon," Kirito said.

"Which means we can also rule out the murder being a sleep PK," Asuna said.

"Are we sure this isn't some kind of… I don't know, hack? Or glitch?" Aurora asked. Agil shook his head.

"No. The Cardinal System, which runs SAO, stops any and all attempts at hacking. And it's self-correcting," he said.

"Oh."

"The PKer who did this had it planned out," Kirito said, shaking his head. "It was too elaborate not to be."

"Then they left the murder weapon behind," Aurora said, looking down at the sword. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at it, counting the number of barbs that arched off of it. There were seven… "Looks almost like a Shichishito Sword…"

"A what?" Asuna asked. Aurora looked up at her, and smiled weakly.

"A Shichishito Sword. Um… it has seven branches on it, like these seven barbs, and it's said to represent life itself, branching out into many possibilities, but destined to end at the same single tip," Aurora explained, only knowing about this due to the importance of the Shichishito sword to the Feys. Not to mention the role it played in one of Phoenix's cases, before he lost his badge.

"Death. All life is destined to end in death," Kirito said.

"Well, that's morbid," Agil said. He leaned forward and picked it up, before manipulating his menu. There was a beep.

"A player made this," he said. All three gasped softly, looking up at him.

"Really?" Kirito asked.

"Who was it, can you tell?" Asuna asked.

"Grimlock. Never heard that name before," Agil said. "But his name is just as morbid as your story," he added, glancing up at Aurora, who giggled weakly. "It's not one of the top blacksmiths, that's for damn sure," he said. "As far as I can tell, there's nothing special about this. Except maybe the shape."

"Yeah, but now we have a name, right?" Aurora said, and Kirito and Asuna nodded. Kirito then turned to the merchant.

"Is there an item name listed?" he asked.

"Guilty Thorn," Agil read. "There's a name for you. It kind of fits though. Better then Shichis-whatever it was," he said. He handed it back to Kirito, who studied it.

"Seriously?" he asked. "'Guilty Thorn?'" He studied it intently, a small frown on his face. He then shrugged. "Here it goes." He flipped it over in his hand, and bought the tip to his palm. Asuna and Aurora gasped at that.

"Wait, stop!" Asuna yelled, catching the boy's wrist as he went to stab his palm. Aurora shuddered, looking away.

"What's the matter?" Kirito asked.

"What do you mean, 'what's the matter'?" the woman demanded. "Are you out of your mind!? That thing's already killed one person!"

"I know. But we need to figure out what this thing's capable of, don't we?" Kirito asked calmly.

"Would you stop being so reckless?" She snatched to sword from Kirito and held it out to the merchant. "Agil, would you please hold on to this for us?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah?" he said, taking it. Asuna then whirled back on Kirito and glared at him.

…

The next day found the trio in the restaurant from yesterday, Yolko with them. She was staring at the table blankly. Finally, Asuna leaned forward.

"So, uh, Yolko," she began. "We uh… we were wondering if you ever heard the name Grimlock," she said. The girl's head jerked up, and she gasped, her eyes widening with fear. Then she closed her eyes.

"Yes," she said in a hushed tone. "I have. Until only a few months ago, he was in the guild with me and Caynz."

The three looked at each other, before Kirito turned to her.

"Listen. We took the sword that impaled Caynz to an appraiser. We had him go over it pretty carefully. And we found out Grimlock made it."

Yolko's eyes widened at the news, her breath catching in her throat. She covered her mouth.

"Can you think of any reason… Grimlock would want Caynz dead?" Aurora asked gently. The girl looked down.

"Yes," she said in a shaky voice. "I can. I should have told you everything yesterday." As she continued, her voice grew stronger. "It's just… I couldn't. It's something I've been trying very hard to forget. But now…" She looked up at the group, looking each one in the eye before continuing. "I have no choice. I should tell you about how my guild… was destroyed."

Yolko told them the sad tale of The Golden Apple. Six months ago, they killed a powerful monster that dropped a powerful, rare accessory. A ring that raised a person's agility stat by twenty. The guild was split over what to do with it: keep it for the guild? Or sell it and split the earnings? They voted on it – five to three, in favor of selling it. The leader, Griselda, took it to a town on the front lines to sell it, and stay overnight. But Griselda never came back. Later, the members of the Golden Apple discovered that their leader was dead. And they had no idea how she died.

"No one's going to leave a safe zone with a rare item like that," Kirito mused. "Too risky. Do you think someone could have pulled a sleep PK on her?"

"Not if it was six months ago. That method's still new," Asuna reminded him.

"You're right. But she wasn't a random victim either," Kirito said. "No, the killer was after the ring…"

"Okay, that's motive. But if sleep PKing is still new, that leaves out method and opportunity," Aurora pointed out. "And that motive… means someone from the Guild. Because it has to be someone who _knew_ she had the ring."

"Well, we have our suspects," Kirito said. "We just have to figure out who _didn't_ want to sell the ring."

"That's a good starting point, and it narrows it down to three, but… the killer could have just as easily voted _to_ sell the ring, as a cover," Aurora pointed out. Asuna nodded in agreement.

"Either way, Griselda was killed _before_ she sold the ring. No way would the killer wait until after."

"Right," Kirito said. The three turned back to the girl. "Tell us what you know about Grimlock," he said.

"Well, I guess for starters, he was Griselda's husband," she said. Aurora eyes widened slightly.

"Wow…" _(Well, the police always look at the spouse first when someone is murdered…)_ she thought darkly.

"But not in real life. Just in the game," Yolko quickly amended. Aurora nodded. "Griselda was a powerful swordswoman. She was beautiful, and smart."

"Grimlock was kind, and I couldn't remember a day when he _wasn't_ smiling. They made a great couple, and got along as husband and wife. If Grimlock is really the one who murdered Caynz yesterday, then… he's probably going after the three guild members who voted against selling the ring…"

"Caynz was one of them?" Aurora asked. The girl nodded, and Aurora sighed softly. _(Revenge killing is always so… messy…)_ she thought sadly.

The girl looked between the three, and took a deep breath. "But Caynz was only one of the three. I was another one," she admitted.

The trio gasped at that.

"Then… who's the third person?" Kirito demanded.

"A tank, named Schmitt," she said. "And he, the last I heard, is on the front lines with the Holy Dragon Alliance."

"Schmitt, huh? I've heard that name before," Kirito said. Asuna and Aurora turned to look at him.

"He's the leader of the defense unit of the Holy Dragon Alliance," Asuna said. "He's an _exceptional_ lancer…"

"Oh yeah. Him," Kirito said.

"Wait, do you really know Schmitt!?" Yolko gasped, her eyes growing wide.

"I've run into him a couple times while clearing bosses, so…" Kirito trailed off.

"I need to see him right away!" Yolko said, leaning forward. "Could you please take me to him? If he's on the front lines, then he probably hasn't heard about the murder…" She flopped back in her chair. "He needs to know… before what happened to Caynz… happens to him…"

The group was silent for a moment, before Asuna nodded slightly. "We'll help you get in touch with Schmitt," she promised. "I know someone in the Holy Dragon Alliance. He'll help us out. We'll visit their HQ."

"Okay, but first we should make sure she gets back to the inn," Kirito said.

"And one of us should probably stay with her. She's a target, too," Aurora added. She smiled slightly. "Guess I'm volunteering." Kirito nodded.

"Yolko, just stay with Aurora at the inn. Neither of you should go anywhere until we get back," he said.

"Alright," Yolko said softly. Aurora smiled at her.

"At least you'll have someone to talk to," she said. Yolko gave her a weak smile.

…

Nothing exciting happened while Asuna and Kirito were gone. After a while, Yolko walked into one of the private areas. A few seconds later, she came back, wrapped in a blanket.

Around sunset, the other two returned with Schmitt in tow. He sat across from his ex-guild mate and she explained the situation, while Kirito, Asuna, and Aurora stood near the door.

Schmitt's leg was bouncing nervously as he thought through the story.

Finally, he spoke.

"So that's what killed Caynz… and you're sure about the sword?" he asked. "It's Grimlock's?"

Yolko nodded. "There was no doubt."

Real fear, even more intense than Yolko's, flashed across the man's face. He surged to his feet. "Well then why would he wait six months to kill him!?" he demanded. "Unless… wait, could he have stolen the ring? Do you think it's possible that he killed Griselda after all!?" He dropped back into the chair as though all of his energy had deserted him. "Does Grimlock want to kill the three of us, 'cause we didn't want to sell the damn ring!?" he asked in a low voice, putting his head in his hands. "Is that why he's after you and me now?"

"Maybe Grimlock made the sword for someone else in our guild," Yolko said after a moment. "And they're the ones who killed Caynz… Or maybe, Griselda's come back from the dead to get her revenge."

 _(Whoa. Where did_ that _theory come from!?)_ Aurora thought. Almost on cue, a breeze blew the curtains in, causing them to flutter.

"Huh!?" Schmitt asked.

"A player can't kill another player inside the safe zone. But something else, like a ghost, could…" Yolko said. Schmitt's face paled at the thought. Aurora frowned though, and she leaned closer to Kirito.

"But… it's impossible for a ghost to be in the system… right?" she asked softly, but the Black Swordsman simply shook his head and shrugged, not knowing one way or another.

Yolko suddenly stood, her eyes glazed with fear. "I couldn't sleep at all last night!" she said. "So I stayed up thinking… It was everyone's fault! Everyone in the guild is guilty!" she yelled, seemingly having a psychotic break.

"Whoa, Yolko?" Aurora asked. The girl had showed no sign of this in the few hours they were waiting for Kirito and Asuna to return.

"Her blood is on all our hands!" She covered her face. "Our fate was sealed when that ring dropped! We shouldn't have voted! _WE SHOULD HAVE DONE WHATEVER GRISELDA TOLD US TO DO!"_ she yelled, pulling her hands from her face to look at Schmitt.

Almost instantly, the girl seemed to calm down, backing up and resting against the windowsill. "Grimlock was the only one. The only member that said we should leave the decision to Griselda…" She looked up at Schmitt. "You see? He's the only one of us who can avenge Griselda… he's the only member of the guild who has the right to avenge her…"

Schmitt was shaking in fear, his whole body trembling. "You gotta be kidding…" he muttered. "You gotta be kidding!" He buried his face in his hands. "Why now? After all this time? Why kill us now!?" He surged to his feet. "You can't be okay with this, Yolko! How can you be okay with being killed over some _stupid_ vendetta!?"

Kirito grabbed the man's wrist. Aurora stepped forward to go over to Yolko.

She didn't make it halfway across the room, before there was a dull thud. Yolko's eyes widened slightly, before she slowly began to tip sideways. Everyone in the room gaped at her in surprise. Yolko turned, grabbing the ledge to keep herself from falling.

And embedded in her back was a dagger with the same barbed design as Guilty Thorn.

"Yolko!" Aurora cried, diving forward in an attempt to catch the girl. Her hand was already going through the motions of opening her menu and grabbing a potion from her inventory.

Before she reached her, the girl fell headfirst out the window.

"No!" Aurora screamed, grabbing the windowsill. Kirito was right next to her.

"Yolko!" he cried. They watched as the girl hit the pavement… and exploded into bluish-green light, just like Caynz had done the day before. All that was left… was the dagger.

Kirito was the first to react, looking up and around. "There!" he gasped, before looking back at Asuna. "Keep an eye on him!" he yelled, before jumping out the window and across the roofs.

"Right behind you, Kirito!" Aurora yelled, following his lead. In her haste, she didn't even notice how high up they were. She followed the Black Swordsman, finally spotting what his sharper eyes seemed to notice first – a figure in a black cloak, running away from them.

Kirito glanced over at Aurora. "Flank him!" he yelled.

"Got it!" Aurora called back, lunging sideways across the roof tops until she was on one side of the figure, with Kirito on the other. The figure glanced between the two of them, before reaching into his cloak. Aurora frowned, whipping out her dagger. She could see Kirito raising a hand to the sword sheathed on his back as well.

But it wasn't a weapon that the figure pulled from their cloak. It was a beautiful blue crystal. Kirito threw nail like things at the figure, but they were blocked by a series of purple hexagons.

So, Aurora threw herself into the figure's path and raised her dagger, which began to glow green. She was going to use a sword skill in an attempt to stop him.

Before the figure reached her, though, he vanished in a flash of blue light. The bell began to ring, and Kirito skid to a stop.

"Damn!" Aurora gasped, canceling the Sword Skill. The look on Kirito's face showed that he clearly shared the sentiment.

The two returned back to Yolko's room, but not before picking up the newest murder weapon.

"You idiots!" Asuna greeted them, sword out. Schmitt was in the chair, his head in his hands, his whole body shaking. "What's your problem!?"

"Uh…" they muttered. Asuna sighed, sheathing her sword and planting her hands on her hips. Kirito and Aurora moved more into the room and closed the door.

"Well? What happened?" Asuna demanded.

"We lost him," Aurora sighed.

"He teleported off somewhere…" Kirito ground his teeth together, clenching his hand into a fist. "The system's supposed to protect players inside the inns… I thought if anywhere, she'd be safe in here… Dammit!" he snapped, punching the wall next to him. A purple hexagon popped up with the words ' _Immortal Object_.'

Aurora frowned at that. _(That looks… a lot like the hexagons that appeared when Kirito threw those nails at the killer…)_ she thought, making a mental note of that.

"That robe was Griselda's…" Schmitt finally spoke up in a hoarse voice, causing all three to look at the shaking man. "That was Griselda's ghost! She's come back to get revenge on us…" He let out a crazy laugh. "Think about it… only a ghost can PK someone in a safe zone…" he let out another twisted laugh. Asuna frowned at him, her arms crossed.

"That wasn't a ghost," Kirito said. "Someone's using the system to kill."

"They were way too solid to be a ghost. That person was… right in front of me when they vanished…" Aurora said, still remembering how close she had gotten. "So if it _is_ a player using the system to kill…"

"It's the only way these murders could have happened in a safe zone. I know it!" Kirito growled.

…

A bit later, the trio, minus Schmitt, were sitting on a bench near the fountain in the center of town.

"I don't know what to think," Asuna sighed, staring at her knees. "Was that black figure _really_ Griselda's ghost?" She looked up. "After seeing two people die mysteriously… I'm beginning to think it's possible…"

"No," Kirito said. "That _definitely_ wasn't a ghost…"

"Like I said, I got pretty close to that person. I'd bet my life on it – that was no ghost," Aurora said. "A ghost wouldn't need a teleport crystal…"

"A teleport crystal?" Kirito said, his eyes widening.

"What is it?" Asuna asked. Aurora turned her attention to him as well. The boy closed his eyes.

"Nah, it's nothing," he said. Aurora frowned slightly.

 _(He has an idea. Something to do with that crystal. Which… does work in safe zones…)_ Aurora thought.

"Here," Asuna suddenly said, holding two packages out to the two.

"What… is that for me?" Kirito asked, while Aurora carefully took the one offered to her.

"What do you think I'm doing, showing it off?" the ginger demanded. Aurora giggled slightly at that. "You gonna take it or what?"

"Uh, okay, thanks. Thank you," Kirito said, taking it and unwrapping it. Aurora curiously unwrapped hers as well.

Inside was an _amazing_ looking sandwich. It made Aurora's mouth water.

"Better eat it fast before it disappears," Asuna said to the two of them, pulling a third one out for herself. "The durability is almost down to zero."

"Uh, right," Kirito said, taking a big bite. Aurora smiled warmly.

"Thanks, Asuna," she said, taking a bite of her's as well. The flavor was amazing, but… it was like swallowing air, at least for Aurora. She didn't let the disappointment show, though, and continued to eat. ( _I guess that's what happens when it's my physical form in the system, while everyone else is just a bunch of ones and zeros. Including this sandwich…)_

"Uh…" Kirito gasped, causing both girls to look at him. "It's delicious…" He took another bite. "When the heck did you find time to pick these up?" he asked.

"Had a feeling we wouldn't have time for lunch today," Asuna admitted. "So this morning, I packed one for us, for if we needed it, okay?" Asuna said. Aurora looked up at the girl as she slowly chewed her mouthful.

"Gotta hand it to you," Kirito started, "for the second in command of the Knights of the Blood Oath, you rock. Where'd you buy these, anyway?"

"I didn't…" Asuna muttered.

"Huh?" Kirito gasped.

"You made these?" Aurora asked.

"Mhm," she said. She must have felt both of their eyes on her. "Yes, I can cook. So what?" she demanded. Aurora smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing," she said, taking another bite. Kirito stared at the ginger for a moment longer.

"Wow, I… I don't even know what to say," Kirito admitted. "If you're looking for a second career, you'd making a killing selling these," he joked. Asuna didn't seem to appreciate it, and stomped on his foot. Kirito jumped and fumbled for his sandwich. He caught it, but bumped into Aurora, causing her to drop hers.

"Whoops, sorry," Kirito muttered. Aurora sighed, but shook her head.

"It's alright," she muttered, watching as the sandwich exploded into bluish-green fragments of light. _(It's not like it was filling me up any—wait…)_ Aurora stared at the spot her sandwich had been for a moment longer, her eyes narrowing.

"Aurora?" Asuna called.

"Shh!" she shushed, her mind going a mile a minute. She quickly bought up her menu to check something, and a wild grin spread across her face. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Asuna demanded.

"What did you just figure out?" Kirito asked.

"We never saw a thing," Aurora said, turning to the two. "We just _thought_ we did. But we were seeing something else!"

"Wait!" Kirito gasped in realization.

"You understand, don't you?" she asked, turning to him. The boy simply nodded. Meanwhile, Asuna was still staring at them in confusion.

"Yes… I was right! The game doesn't allow killing inside a safe zone!" Kirito said. "There's no weapon or system exploit!"

"But there is a way to make it _seem_ like there is," Aurora said triumphantly. "Which means…"

"Wait! They're _alive!?_ " Asuna demanded, looking between the two of them.

"Yep. Both Caynz and Yolko," Aurora said.

"B-but… I…" she stammered.

"Inside Safe Zones, a player's HP doesn't deplete on its own," Kirito explained.

"But the durability of an object does," Aurora added. "Like my sandwich."

"What?" Asuna muttered.

"That day, the sword was sticking out of Caynz's armor. It wasn't draining his HP though. It was draining the durability of his armor," Aurora explained.

"But then… his body didn't disintegrate. It was…" Asuna muttered.

"Yep," Kirito said. "It was his armor. Nothing else. And as the precise second, when his armor's durability expired? Poof. Caynz used a crystal to teleport out of his armor," he said. Asuna gasped. "Sure, it looks a lot like when a player dies in the game. Only he didn't die," Kirito finished.

"Then what happened to Yolko?" Asuna asked.

"The dagger was rigged to her blanket the whole time," Aurora gasped. "While you two were out, she randomly pulled it from some room in the back and put it on. Not once did she _ever_ move from that chair after that… She must have kept an eye on her equipment's durability level while she was talking… and when it dropped to zero… all she had to do was act like she was hit by the dagger and throw herself out the window… whatever made that thump I heard… must have been that person we chased," she reasoned out.

"But who was the person that you two chased?" Asuna asked.

"Not Grimlock. I'm sure of that. But Caynz? He and Yolko were in it together," Kirito said.

"And all to draw one person out," Aurora added, looking at the two. They turned to look at her.

"Schmitt…" Asuna gasped. Aurora nodded. Kirito suddenly turned to look at Asuna.

"Hey, do you still have Yolko on your friend list?" he asked. Asuna quickly checked.

"Right now, she's in the field on floor nineteen," Asuna said. "It looks like she's on a small hill, just outside of town…"

"I see," Kirito mused. Asuna and Aurora turned to look at him. "That's it then. I guess they can handle it from here. I mean, our job's pretty much done now, wouldn't you say?"

Asuna smiled. "Mhm," she hummed.

"Right…" Aurora muttered, standing. Something didn't sit quite right with her, though. "I guess I'll be going then," she said.

"Alright. If you ever need anything, you know who to contact," Asuna said. Aurora nodded with a smile, and jogged through the town, going right to the Teleport Crystal and going to floor nineteen.

In her heart, she knew she had to find Caynz and Yolko…

When she found the two, along with Schmitt, the lancer was on the ground, a dagger sticking from his shoulder. A man swathed in a ragged cloak stood over him, pointing a weapon at Caynz and Yolko. A red diamond hovered over his head.

More of the figures appeared, surrounding the trio. Aurora scowled and whipped out her dagger, only to feel someone grab her from behind, a blade pressed against her throat.

"Shhh… no sudden movements, sweetheart," the man said. "This blade is poison, after all…"

"Ugh… the Laughing Coffin," Schmitt growled. "The Murderer Guild…"

"Alright. What game should we play with these three?" one of the men asked.

"Four," the guy holding Aurora forced her to move forward, the blade of his knife scratching her neck. Nausea rolled through Aurora's stomach as the poison entered her system, and almost immediately, her HP dropped by ten, a purple icon with bubbles appearing next to it.

"Oh, I know! I know! Let's play the one where they have to kill each other!" one of the figures said excitedly. "Last one standing wins!"

"I know it's your favorite, but last time, you killed the winner anyway," the man, who seemed to be the leader, said, turning his head to look at the man.

"Oh come on! You spoiled it! It's no fun if they know they're going to die!" the first man whined. Aurora's eyes flickered from her HP, to the ex-members of the Golden Apple. Schmitt was still on the ground, most likely paralyzed, while Yolko and Caynz were shaking, watching what was going on.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road," the leader said, moving to Schmitt first. He raised his weapon, a fancy cleaver knife.

"S-stop!" Aurora gasped, struggling against the man holding her. The knife bit deeper into her neck, but she ignored it the best she could. It was no use though. The man holding her was stronger than she was, and managed to keep a good grip on her.

The leader paused in bringing the cleaver down on Schmitt's head at the sound of hoof beats. Looking over, the entire group saw a glowing horse racing towards them. Once it was close enough, the horse reared, throwing off its rider.

"Damn," the rider grumbled, before quickly standing up straight. "Looks like I made it just in time," he said.

"Kirito…" Aurora breathed. _(But how…?)_ Her eyes were drawn to her HP bar, which was now under half-way full. Underneath her bar were two others.

Kirito's and Asuna's.

They never disbanded their party.

Kirito slapped the horse, sending him running, and walked forward. "So, now what?" he asked. "I've got thirty players from the assault team coming. You guys wanna stay and fight 'em?"

The four men didn't answer. Kirito unsheathed his sword, dropping into a fighting stance. After a few tense moments, the leader snapped his fingers. The one holding Aurora shoved her forward, sheathing his knife, and the other two followed his example. Aurora hit the ground next to Schmitt hard, and rolled over to watch what would happen next.

Yolko dropped to her knees as though they were suddenly too weak to hold her.

"Common," the leader growled, walking away with the three other men. Kirito watched them closely as they walked away, his sword point never wavering.

As they disappeared into the mist, Kirito sheathed his sword with a sigh, before kneeling next to Aurora, holding out a purple potion.

"Here's an antidote," he said.

"Thanks," Aurora muttered, taking it and drinking it in one shot. She made a face, but didn't otherwise complain.

He then stood, pulling Aurora to her feet, and looked between Yolko and Caynz. "Nice to see you alive, again, Yolko," he said.

"You won't believe me, but… after it was over, I was going to tell you the truth," the girl said softly. "I am sorry we had to trick you to help us out. And, Aurora, that you got mixed up in that…"

Kirito smiled at her, while Aurora shook her head.

"It's no big deal," she said.

"Kirito…" Schmitt said, finally moving to a kneeling position. "Thank you for saving me, but… how did you figure it out? How did you know those four would attack us here?" he asked.

"I didn't figure anything out," Kirito said. "I just noticed Aurora's HP suddenly drop, and came to check on her."

"We never disbanded the party. I'm happy about that," Aurora muttered. Kirito nodded, then turned to the other two.

"Hey, Yolko, Caynz? Level with me. You asked Grimlock to make the sword and dagger, didn't you?" he asked. The two glanced at each other. Yolko then nodded.

"We did," she said, turning to the two of them again. "But he was against our plan from the beginning… all he wanted was for Griselda to rest in peace…"

"He did forge the weapons for us, but only after we got down on our knees and begged him," Caynz said.

"Sorry, but he had a different reason for not liking your plan," Kirito suddenly said. "Griselda had nothing to do with it."

"Huh?" Yolko and Caynz asked.

"He was worried faking PKs in a safe zone would draw a lot of attention. He didn't want to take the risk of someone snooping around for answers," he said. Aurora guessed that was just Kirito's assumption, but she couldn't help but think that maybe it was a little bit of both.

Then Kirito proved her romantic thoughts wrong.

"The concept of marriage in SAO means that the married couple shares storage. If one of the couple dies… then all of the items goes to the surviving spouse's storage. Which means… the ring was stolen by Grimlock," he explained.

"What!?" Aurora gasped. Kirito nodded.

"It was Grimlock?" Caynz asked.

"Then those were his instructions…" Schmitt muttered. "Then he killed Griselda, too!"

"No. I doubt he was the one who _actually_ killed her," Kirito said. "Though, I'm pretty sure he went and found himself a red player to do it for him…" Schmitt gasped.

"My god… but then he really did have her killed!" Yolko cried. "Why would he go through all of that trouble just to help us out!?"

"You explained your plan to him in detail, didn't you?" Kirito asked. Aurora gasped.

"Your plan was the perfect chance for him to bury the ring incident," she said. "And… any witnesses… once and for all. The Laughing Coffin…"

"Right," Kirito said. "All he had to do was wait for these three to get together. They'd be sitting ducks. Of course, none of us expected you to show up, too, Aurora," Kirito added. "But seeing your HP drop… well, me and Asuna knew."

"That's why… they knew we'd be here, because he hired them!" Schmitt gasped.

"Yeah. My guess is, it was probably the same bunch he hired to kill Griselda…" Kirito said.

"Oh my god…" Yolko muttered, before suddenly pitching forward. Caynz caught her, holding her close.

"Found him," Asuna's voice suddenly said from behind. The group turned to face her. She was walking with a man who had sunglasses, a hat, and a trench coat on, her sword trained on his back.

"If you wanna know more, you can ask the man yourself," Kirito said.

Asuna and Grimlock stopped.

"Hello," the man said. And he was _smiling._ "Long time, no see, comrades."

"I can't believe it…" Yolko whispered. "Did you… did you really plan this?"

The man's smile disappeared, and he didn't answer.

"How could you, Grimlock!?" Yolko demanded, tears in her eyes. "Answer me! Why did you kill Griselda!? The money!? Was the money so important to you that you'd kill your own wife for it!?"

 _(That's sadly the motive in all too many murder cases…)_ Aurora thought sadly, turning to face the man.

"Hmph," he hummed. "Money? Did you say money?" He laughed as though that was the funniest thing in the world. "It wasn't for the money. I had to. No matter what, I had to kill her while we were _stuck_ in this world. I had to kill her while she was _still my wife._ And because she was also my wife in the real world," the man said, causing almost everyone to gasp.

"In a way, she was the perfect wife. Ideal. So pretty. Submissive. The whole time we were together, we never had a single fight. But while we were trapped in here… in this world… she changed. In here, _I_ was the one who was afraid. Terrified of playing this death game. But she looked… so much happier here. More alive than she ever did in the real world…" The man almost seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. His own recollections. "There was nothing I could do about it. She changed! The Yuko I loved was gone. Gone! But then I realized, I didn't have to live with the way she was! Murder is part of this game!"

His words and expressions grew more crazed with each statement. "If I couldn't have the Yuko I loved back, I'd settle for the memory of her! Who could blame me!?"

"You scum bag," Aurora snarled. "I've seen and heard plenty of twisted motives for murder, but this? How could that be a reason!?" she yelled. Kirito grabbed her wrist, probably worried she'd throw herself at the man, dagger drawn.

"It's reason enough," the man said softly. "And someday, you'll understand, too. Once you've found love… believe me, you'll do anything to keep it."

Aurora thought back to Riku. How he changed so that he could use the darkness in order to wake up Sora. How he kept himself hidden from them in order to protect them. The distance between her and him, while he caught up with school, and she finished out Themis.

Disgust swirled into her stomach that had nothing to do with her recent poisoning.

"No. You're wrong. When you find love, you accept _everything_ about that person. Every perceived perfection… and every perceived flaw," she said. "You accept it all, and you don't _kill_ that person, just because they've shown a different side of their personalities. That's not love at all!"

"She's right, Grimlock," Asuna sheathed her sword and moved to stand next to Aurora. "You stopped loving Griselda when you became selfish and possessive!"

The man gasped, his eyes widening. He then fell to his knees, tears pooling in his eyes.

Before any of the trio could move, Caynz swept past them and towards the man. Schmitt followed him, and they both stood on either side of the broken criminal.

"Kirito, Asuna, Aurora. We appreciate your help, but I think this is our problem to deal with now," Caynz said.

"Okay," Kirito nodded. Caynz and Schmitt crouched down, each grabbing Grimlock's arms, and pulled him up, walking away with him. Yolko followed after, before stopping and turning to the trio, bowing to them. Kirito and Asuna bowed back, with Aurora belatedly following their example.

As they left, the sun began to rise at the trio's backs. Kirito yawned, stretching his arms above his head.

"Hey," Asuna suddenly said. "Say it was you, and you married someone. Then, later on, you found she had a side to her that she didn't know about. How would you feel?" she asked, addressing Kirito. Aurora turned to look at the surprised swordsman.

"I guess… that I was lucky?" Kirito said.

"Hm?" both girls asked.

"Uh… because… I mean, if you marry someone, that means you already like what you know about them, doesn't it?" he asked, sounding scared of how the girls might react. "And if you discovered something about them that you didn't know about before, and fell in love with that too… then… that would be awesome?" he finished unsurely, holding his hands up defensively.

"Right, good answer," Asuna said. Aurora giggled slightly, looking up.

 _(I wonder if that's how Riku would answer?)_ she wondered.

"Anyway, I'm hungry after all this," Asuna added. "I didn't really get to finish my dinner, because someone had to go get into trouble." The ginger turned to Aurora, who laughed weakly.

"Well… I… sorry?" she said.

"And we should get back to work tomorrow. We've been off the front line for two days," Asuna added.

"Speaking of which, I'd like to start fighting on the front line as well," Aurora said.

"Really?" Asuna asked. Aurora nodded with a smile.

"Yeah." _(I mean, I like to think that I'm pretty good at video games. Besides, maybe this is the reason the Star Shard bought me here. To help these people get out of this death game. Sora… Riku…. Just hold on a little longer, okay?)_

As the group began to walk away from the grave, Kirito caught the girls' arms.

"Hey!" Aurora gasped.

"Now what?" Asuna demanded. He pointed back to the grave, and both girls turned to see a woman with kind eyes, wearing the same cloak Yolko and Caynz had worn to scare Schmitt. She smiled kindly at the trio, her hair and cloak flowing in a breeze unfelt by the three. Aurora gasped softly, staring at her. The three glanced slightly at each other, before looking back towards the grave.

The woman was gone. Like she had never even been there.

A few moments passed before Aurora smiled. "I'm just going to go ahead. I'll see you two later," she said, walking away. As she left, she bought up the party member. She hesitated just for a moment, before selecting 'Leave Party.'

Then she continued on her way back to town.

…

The front line was no joke. The dungeons were tough, and the bosses were scarier than any game Aurora had ever played before. Though, that might be due the fact that they were much bigger than her, as this was the first virtual reality game that Aurora has ever experienced. Or, it could be due to the fact that she knew that if she died in this game… well, it was permanently game over. Not just for her, but any of the players that she was making friends with.

That's not to say they didn't make progress. Working together, between guilds and solo players, they managed to clear all the way up to floor 74.

But the monster's algorithms were all over the place once they got past floor 70. They were more erratic.

Aurora never joined a guild, just in case the Star Shard decided to pull her away, but she was constantly joining parties and fighting on teams.

After all, the monsters in this game weren't like the Heartless. A lot of them were much more durable.

Speaking of the Heartless, Aurora hadn't seen any since she arrived, and at first, she found that strange.

Then she remembered that unlike Tron's World, Space Paranoids… no one in this world had a heart, except for her. Their physical bodies were in another world, using Full Dive equipment to allow their minds to control a bunch of ones and zeros.

If anything… the heartless were probably in that world. And that was the scariest part, since Aurora couldn't go to that world to protect the people.

She could only hope the Heartless hadn't found what the people here called the 'real world.'

Not too long after the entrance to the 74th-floor dungeon was found, Aurora was exploring it. It was creepy, with walls made of greenish black stone, and the floor glowing with blinding white light.

At this point, Aurora was at level 78. She sighed. _(I doubt this will translate back into real life. It'd be nice, though…)_ she thought with a small smile.

That's when she heard it. Two vary familiar voices, screaming bloody murder. Aurora unsheathed her dagger and raced through the corridors, growing closer and closer to the screams, until she found who she was looking for.

Asuna and Kirito. They were sitting on the ground, their backs resting against one of the walls, panting.

"This one's going to be tough to beat…" Asuna was saying.

"Wait—you found the boss already?" Aurora asked, cutting across whatever Kirito was going to say. Both looked up at her.

"Aurora?" Kirito gasped.

"Are you going solo right now?" Asuna asked.

"Yeah. So, you found the boss?" Aurora asked.

"Oh, right. Yeah. He's…" Asuna trailed off with a shiver.

"Oh. Great…" Aurora muttered.

"It only had one big sword… but I'm sure it had special attacks," Kirito said.

"We're going to have to put tanks in the front and keep switching out, just to wear it down," Asuna mused.

"Yeah. And it wouldn't hurt to have ten good shield users as well," Kirito added, his eyes flickering over to the shield on Aurora's arm.

"Shield users, huh?" Asuna said, looking over at the Black Swordsman.

"What?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"You are. You're hiding something, aren't you?" Asuna suddenly said. Aurora quirked an eyebrow.

"What makes you think that, just from his statement?" Aurora asked.

"Yeah, what she said," Kirito added, glancing up at Aurora, before looking back at Asuna.

"I just realized something. The biggest advantage of using a one-handed sword is that you can also use a shield. And you know what? I don't think I've ever seen you using one," the ginger pointed out. "It's obvious Aurora does, but she always goes for the small buckler types, so she's balanced in defense and speed. I don't use a shield because it'll slow down my rapier. Others don't because they think it looks dumb." Her eyes flickered over the boy. "How come you're not using the sword you commissioned from Liz?" she suddenly asked.

"Wait, he specially commissioned a sword, and he's not using it?" Aurora asked. Asuna nodded, and the blond crossed her own arms, looking at the boy. "That is odd… I bet it's more powerful than the one you _are_ using…"

"It is," Asuna said.

Kirito crossed his arms and looked away. The girls glanced at each other.

"Very suspicious…" they both said in unison. Kirito let out a muffled sigh, refusing to meet either of their eyes.

The two girls continued to stare at him. Right before Kirito cracked, however, Asuna grinned.

"Oh, nevermind!" she said. Aurora giggled.

"It's rude to ask people to justify their skills," she added. The boy's eyes widened in surprise, and he turned to look at the two of them, before letting out a sigh.

Asuna grinned and opened her menu. "Since it's so late, we might as well have lunch here!" she said, pulling two sandwiches from her inventory. She froze for a moment. "Oh… I only have enough for two…" she said. Aurora grinned.

"Don't worry about it. I just finished eating when I heard your screams and came running," she lied with a laugh, causing them both to blush.

 _(Ugh… I'm so hungry… I don't know how much longer I can stay on this world…)_ Aurora thought. She found that if she ate _a lot_ of the digital food, it would fill her up… eventually. The issue was, she didn't have the cooking skill or the col/munny to spend on that much food.

"Are you sure?" Asuna asked, still holding both sandwiches. Meanwhile, Kirito was practically drooling on himself, staring at the package in her hand. Aurora laughed.

"Positive."

"Well, alright," she said, finally handing the second one over. Kirito quickly unwrapped his.

"Did you make these yourself?" he asked. Asuna blushed slightly, before grinning.

"Sure did. Eat up!" she said brightly. Kirito immediately took her advice. Aurora smiled at that before standing and stretching.

"I'll make sure no monsters are around while you two enjoy your break," she said, walking away from the two.

After only a few minutes, however, Aurora spotted another group heading towards the trio. Most of them were wearing red, with a series of four diamonds arranged into a larger diamond shape. She immediately recognized the leader, a tall man with red hair, a goatee, and a red headband, having joined his party a few times.

"Hey, Klein!" she called, jogging over to the group, catching the attention of Asuna and Kirito. Once Aurora got closer, she realized the enter group seemed exhausted. "Whoa, are you okay? What happened?" she asked.

Klein looked up, and grinned. "Hey, Aurora!" He looked around her. "Kirito! What are you guys doing?" he asked, coming closer.

"Hey, Klein. Still alive, huh?" Kirito asked without any enthusiasm, as Klein walked past the blond. Aurora turned and watched noticing the guilty look on Kirito's face.

 _(Uh-oh. Something happened between them…)_ Aurora thought. She could see that Klein's group, his guild, and Asuna seemed to think the same thing. Klein simply laughed.

"You're the same as ever," he said. Then he noticed Asuna, and did a double take at Aurora. "Wait! You're a solo player! What are you doing with a couple of… girls…?" he asked.

"For the record, I ran into them here," Aurora mumbled, only to be ignored. Klein was too busy checking out Asuna. Aurora smiled wryly, remembering when she first met the man and got the same treatment. Until he found out she already had a boyfriend in the 'real world.'

"Um, I could have sworn you two met at one of the boss fights," Kirito said awkwardly. "Let me introduce you." He raised a hand towards the stricken man. "This is Klein, leader of the Fuurinkazen Guild." He moved his hand to motion to the girl. "And this is Asuna of the Knights of the Blood Oath." He moved his hand to Aurora. "And, of course, you both already know Aurora…"

Klein stayed silent. The girls glanced at each other. Kirito finally waved his hand in front of the man's face.

"Hey dude, say something. You're freaking us out," he said. "What's wrong. You lagging?"

Klein suddenly snapped to attention and bowed his head, holding his right hand out to Asuna. "Hi! I'm K-Klien! I'm 24, and single, looking for—"

Kirito interrupted him there. By punching him in the stomach hard enough to lift him off of his feet and send him flying backwards. Aurora, Asuna, and Klein's guild all gasped as the man hit the ground.

"Boss!" the guild cried. Kirito blinked in surprise and confusion, looking down at his own fist. The guild surrounded the trio. Kirito spread his arms, protecting the girls from the hostile looks, until…

"Whoa! Are you really _that_ Asuna!?" they all asked at the same time, crowding the ginger. Aurora doubled over in laughter at the strange series of events, while Asuna tried to listen to all of the guys' questions.

Kirito, meanwhile, was trying to hold the guys back from rushing her. Klein stood and stomped on the Black Swordsman's foot, causing the two to bicker until Asuna joined Aurora in laughing. The ginger finally calmed down and explained that she and Kirito were in a party together.

Before Klein could react, the sound of marching and armor reached their ears, causing everyone to look up.

Approaching them, all wearing matching armor with face covering masks, was a large party. With the exception of the leader, they all seemed exhausted.

"The hell? It's an army…" Kirito muttered.

"It's the big guild that runs floor one…" Klein said.

"So it's _the_ Army," Aurora said. "What are they doing all the way up here?" she wondered.

"There were _slaughtered_ on floor twenty-five. Instead of clearing levels, they've been trying to build up numbers," Asuna said. "I haven't seen them on the frontlines in a while…"

The men finally stopped, and the leader turned to the company. "At ease!" he yelled.

It was almost like someone cutting the strings of a puppet. They all collapsed, some dropping the shields and weapons in the process. Meanwhile, the leader walked over to the small group.

"I'm with the Aincrad Liberation Army," he announced. "Lieutenant Colonel Corvatz."

"I'm Kirito. Solo."

"Sure you are," the man said in a condescending tone, glancing over the girls and Klein. "Have you cleared the area up ahead?"

"Yeah. We also have a map with direction to the boss room," Kirito explained.

"There's also a treasure room nearby, with anyone who has a high enough lock-picking skill," Aurora announced, studying her own map.

"Hm. Right." Corvatz raised his hand. "Then hand over those maps, and we'll be on our way," he demanded.

"Huh!? You want us to just give those to you? Do you even know how much of a pain in the ass mapping is?" Klein demanded.

"We share our information and resources with civilian players all the time!" the man yelled angrily. "We don't charge a thing for it! We maintain order in the chaos of battle so that all players can leave this world as quickly as possible! Therefore, it's your duty to cooperate with us! So hand over those maps!"

"Listen you-!" Asuna began.

"That bastard!" Klein growled, grabbing his sword. Kirito rose his hand.

"Easy," he said, before looking over at Aurora. "When we got back to town, I was going to go public with the map anyway. You?"

Aurora studied her map, then sighed. _(I'll never get my lock-picking skill up high enough… Might as well just hand it over…)_ she thought dejectedly, pulling it out of her inventory. "Yeah," she said. Kirito nodded and did the same.

"Come on you two, wait! You being too nice to him!" Klein said. Aurora ignored him and transferred her map to the man. Kirito did the same.

"Thanks for cooperating," the man said, turning his back on the group and walking back to the rest of the Army.

"By the way, if you're planning to hit the boss, I wouldn't recommend it," Kirito said. Corvatz stopped.

"That is my decision to make!" he snapped. Aurora cast her eye over the exhausted Army.

"Your men are in no condition to even fight regular monsters, let alone a boss of the upper floors. A real leader would take that into consideration," she said.

"Nonsense! My men are tougher then that!" Corvats snarled, turning on the girl. "They don't quit until I say so! And I'm not going to take lip from some half-pint little girl about how to lead my troops!" Aurora reeled back in shock as Corvats turned back to his men. "On your feet! Come on, move!" he yelled. The men groaned in pain and exhaustion, but pulled themselves to their feet. Aurora bit her lip in worry for them while the group watched as the trudged off.

"That's the direction of the boss room… isn't it?" Aurora asked.

"Yeah," Kirito said.

"Oh man, are those guys going to be okay?" Klein asked.

"I'm sure they know what they're doing…" Asuna said, sounding anything but sure. "They won't rush the boss without checking it out first."

"Maybe we should keep an eye on them anyway," Kirito said. "I know Aurora wants to."

Aurora jumped, looking over at him, before giggling weakly. "Yeah. If that boss sent you two screaming… well, those men probably aren't used to much of the upper levels," she said.

"Wait, what?" Klein asked.

…

Aurora, Asuna, Kirito, and Klein's guild all fought their way back to the boss room, from which they heard a cry of distress. Aurora didn't hesitate. She lunged forward, rushing towards the source of the sound.

"Asuna!" Kirito called.

"Right!" she said, and the two followed after the blond.

"Hey!" Klein called, just as more monsters appeared around him and his guild.

There was another cry of pain.

"Hold on!" Aurora gasped, rounding a bend and seeing the door, which was open. All she could see inside was multiple braziers, lit with blue flame.

The three finally reached the door. But the sight that greeted them was not a good one.

A large, dark blue minotaur like beast stood in between the remaining members of the army and the door. And there were only a handful of those members left – all of them exhausted.

The monster, Gleam Eyes, swung its large sword, taking out a wave of the Army players.

"You gotta teleport out!" Aurora screamed.

"We can't!" one of the men yelled back. "T-the crystals aren't working!" Gleam Eyes attacked again. Aurora gasped, hearing the other two do the same.

"I've never heard of a trap like this being in a boss room before," Asuna said softly.

"Floor seventy-four. Things are getting tougher," Aurora said.

"The Aincrad Liberation Army doesn't know the word retreat! Corvatz yelled. "Come on! Keep fighting! Ready! Charge!" His men surged forward.

"Don't do it!" Kirito yelled.

"No!" Aurora screamed, before launching herself into the room.

"Aurora!" Asuna yelled.

Before the men could reach the Gleam Eyes, it took a deep breath and launched a breath attack at the group. Aurora got in between the men and the attack, bringing her shield up to block, bracing it with her right arm. The shield glowed an emerald green, activating Aurora's Unique Skill, Barrier. A crystal like barrier, exactly like _Reflect_ , bloomed from her shield, blocking the attack, before exploding outward, at the monster. Aurora was thrown back from the shockwave of the explosion, but managed to take off a large chunk of the boss's health.

"Whoa…" Klien gasped.

Gleam Eyes managed to recover, though, and slammed his sword down on the group. Aurora, who had just hit the ground, rolled out of the way and back to her feet, her dagger in hand.

Corvats was shot towards the door from that last attack, causing Kirito to rush to his side. Meanwhile, Aurora was trying to draw Gleam Eyes' attention away from the wounded and exhausted men, using little jabbing attacks, and her other shield Sword Skills, Deadly Protection, which would parry attacks and create openings, and Strike Raid, where she would throw her shield at the target to cause damage.

She managed to keep this up for only a few minutes, before the beast slammed her into the wall. She slumped to the ground, stunned, and Gleam Eyes raised its sword, ready to bring it down on her.

"NO!" Asuna screamed, rushing forward.

"Asuna!" Kirito called, following her. Klein sighed, before following.

"Oh, what the hell!" he yelled.

Before Gleam Eyes could bring its sword down on Aurora, Asuna attacked it's back, using a Sword Skill of her own. It didn't do much but drag the beast's attention away from its original target. It whirled around and punched Asuna out of the air, sending the ginger flying backwards.

It then went to attack its new target, only for Kirito to intercept the attack, blocking it with his own sword and sending the strike off course. Aurora quickly downed a potion and stood, watching the scene unfold.

"Get out! Both of you!" the boy yelled. Asuna pushed herself to her feet, her determined look matched only by Aurora's stubborn one.

Meanwhile, Klein and his guild were getting the remainder of the army out of the boss room.

Gleam Eyes realized this and turned, launching another breath attack at them. Aurora dove in between, catching the attack with Barrier again, just as Kirito cut it short by slashing the monster across its back. It turned, and Kirito began to trade blows with it, until finally he jumped back, getting out of range of its sword. Aurora moved closer to Asuna and Klein watching the unfolding battle with huge eyes.

Kirito was on the ground for a few minutes, before suddenly standing, deflecting another attack.

He then jumped back. "Klein, Asuna, Aurora! I need ten seconds! Keep him off of me!" he yelled.

"Yeah! You got it!" Klein called. The three quickly moved forward. Aurora mainly played defense, taking the blows on her shield, while the other two attacked. Meanwhile, Kirito was in his menu.

As Aurora and Klein were knocked away, and Asuna took their place, Kirito looked up. "Okay! I'm ready!" he yelled. Asuna knocked Gleam Eyes' sword out of the way. "Switch out!" Kirito yelled, running forward. Asuna jumped back, just as Kirito reached the beast, attacking… with two swords. Everyone else in the room was stunned.

With both swords, Kirito was able to block Gleam Eyes' attacks a lot easier.

"Okay… here it goes… _Starburst Stream_!" he yelled, going on the offense, his swords glowing blue. His attacks were a lot faster and much more efficient. The monster's HP was dropping quickly.

"W-what the hell kind of skill is that?" Klein gasped.

"A Unique Skill. Like my Barrier," Aurora gasped.

Meanwhile, Kirito's attacks were only gaining in speed, until suddenly, Gleam Eyes caught one of his blades and attempted to stab the boy. Kirito ducked under the monster's sword, and stabbed it right through the belly with his second sword, finally ending the battle.

Kirito stood like that a moment longer, before breathing, "Is it… over…?"

' _Congratulations!'_ appeared in large white letters over the boy's head as his arms dropped to his sides, and he stumbled back slightly.

Then he collapsed.

"Kirito!" Aurora yelled, rushing forward, her hands already going through the motions of opening her inventory for a potion. As he wasn't awake, though, the potion wouldn't work.

Asuna reached him before Aurora, dropping to her knees next to the boy. "Kirito! Wake up, Kirito!" she cried.

His eyes squinted open for a moment, before he sat up, putting a hand to his head. "Ugh, my head," he groaned.

Aurora dropped to her knees in relief, a small smile stealing over her face, despite the worried tears in her eyes.

The room itself had changed. There was no longer any blue fire – burning in the braziers was regular yellow-orange flames. And a second door was now revealed, showing the exit. The remaining members of the army, plus Klein and his guild and the two girls had gathered around Kirito. He was now glancing between them.

"That was too close. How long was I out for?" he asked Asuna, who was wiping tears off her face.

"Just a few seconds," she said. She then launched herself at him, hugging him. "You reckless-!" she cried, cutting off due to sobs. Kirito seemed surprised at first, but smiled, wrapping his arms around her.

"Geez, don't hug me so hard," he said. "I'll lose the last of my HP…"

Klein stepped forward just then. "Corvats and two of his men are the only ones who didn't make it. A few of the men had managed to escape before we arrived, which is why there's so little here now," he explained, having talked with the Army while the girls had fretted over Kirito. The boy gasped up at him, before looking down.

"We haven't lost a player in a boss fight… since floor sixty-seven," Kirito said. Klein gritted his teeth.

"That wasn't a boss fight, that was suicide!" he said. "Corvats was a damned fool!"

Aurora pushed herself to her feet and walked over, putting a hand on Klein's shoulder. "I understand your anger, but… it doesn't do well to speak ill of the dead," she said.

"Tsk." Klein turned his head away from her. He then looked at Kirito. "You're not off the hook either! What the hell did you do just now?" he demanded.

"I don't think you wanna know," Kirito said.

"Oh come on! I've never seen anything like that before!" Klein whined.

Kirito sighed, turning his head to not look at any of them. "It's an extra skill I picked up," he said. Dual Wielding…"

Klein's whole guild gasped.

"Dude, are their prerequisites!?" Klein demanded.

"If I knew that, I'd have shared it by now," Kirito said. Meanwhile, Klein was going through something on his menu.

"It's not on the info broker's list," he muttered. "Guess it's exclusive to you…"

"You mean like that barrier thing Aurora did?" one of the guys in his guild asked.

"Hey, yeah!" he said, turning to face her. "What was that!?"

"Barrier. Don't bother looking it up. It's not there," Aurora said, having looked herself. She simply figured it was one way of the world trying to give her a little extra something, since it took her magic away.

"Huh. You both have Unique Skills!" he said. "Way to stay on the down low you two! I knew Kirito was good at that, but who'd thunk from a pretty gal like you?" he joked, gently elbowing Aurora in the ribs. She giggled weakly.

 _(More than you'd think…)_ she thought.

Kirito explained how he discovered he had the skill, simply by scrolling through his skill list. "But if anyone else found out about it…" he began.

"They'd get pissed because they didn't," Klein said thoughtfully.

"It's for that same reason I kept quiet about mine," Aurora said. Klein nodded.

"Well, some gamers are like that, but not me. You both are right though. People would definitely be jealous you both, largely solo players, have unique skills…" He then focused solely on Kirito and smirked. "And that…" he added, his eyes flicker to where Asuna was still hugging the boy. Aurora giggled, and Kirito gasped, looking down at the girl clinging to him.

"We're gonna go trigger the warp gate. You coming?" Klein asked.

"Count me in! I can't wait to see this new floor!" Aurora cheered.

"Uh, I'll catch up with you guys later. Need to rest for a bit," Kirito said.

"I hear that. Have a safe trip back," Klein said. Aurora smiled and waved at them, following after Klein. He suddenly stopped though. "Oh. You know how you three rushed in there to save those army guys?"

"Yeah?" Kirito and Aurora answered.

"Well…" Klein rubbed his sleeve against his face. Aurora tipped her head to the side, trying to see if the man was crying. "I'm glad you did." He continued up the steps, and Aurora smiled, following him again.

"So am I…" she said softly.

…

After spending some time on floor 75, Aurora decided to go back to the first floor, the Town of Beginnings. She couldn't help but think of the Army guild, whose members had so recklessly ran into the boss room on the 74th floor. She had heard they set up their HQ on this floor.

"I can't believe I'm actually thinking about this," she muttered to herself as she walked around town, trying to decide if she should join the guild or not.

After a few hours of walking, she heard a piercing voice scream "leave those kids alone!"

"Look! It's that Daycare bitch!" a male voice called. Aurora gritted her teeth, gripping her dagger, and rushed forward.

"Leave them alone and let them go!" the first voice cried.

"You make it sound like we're doing something illegal, babycakes. We're just teaching them how things work around here. Making sure they pay their way."

"Is this really the guild I thought about joining?" Aurora snarled, having reached the area. Six members of the Army stood in front of a woman, smirks on their faces. Behind them, against the wall, stood three young kids. One of the men turned to her as she planted herself in between the men and the woman.

"Ugh. It's one of those self-righteous players," he said, before taking a menacing step towards her. "Scram, Shrimp. This is none of your business," he said.

"When you go picking on little kids, it is my business," Aurora said, her hand flexing around the hilt of her dagger.

"Kids! Are you okay?" The woman called from behind Aurora.

"Help Miss. Sasha! Save us!" the little girl cried. Miss. Sasha, the woman, growled at the Army Men. But all of their attention was on Aurora.

"They just want your money! So give it to them and it'll be okay!" Miss. Sasha called.

"No," Aurora said, her eyes narrowing. Her decision was made. There was no way she'd join this guild. "They won't be taking anyone's money."

"That's it. I'm getting really tired of this punk," one of the men growled, unsheathing his sword. He lunged at Aurora. Aurora immediately caught the point of his sword against her shield, flicking it aside and throwing the man off balance. She then slammed the hilt of her dagger against his helmet, forcing him to stumble back.

"Get her, boys!" one of the other men yelled. Before anyone could move, two sets of footsteps came running down the alley, and two shadows flew over the group, getting in between the men and the kids.

Aurora was surprised to see Asuna and Kirito. She was even more surprised to see a little girl on Kirito's back. Asuna turned to the kids.

"You guys are gonna be okay now. Pick up your stuff," she told them.

"Uh, okay…" one of the boys said softly.

"What the-!? Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa! Who the hell are you?" one of the men demanded. Aurora stayed ready, just in case they decided to attack her or Miss. Sasha again.

"This is Army business, so get the hell out of our way!" another of the men yelled.

"Hold on. I got this," the leader of this pack said, walking forward, closer to Asuna and Kirito. "I guess you're all new in town, yeah? Cause we're with the Liberation Army and you do NOT MESS WITH US!" He unsheathed his sword, swinging it in the air, as he yelled. The kids behind Kirito and Asuna gasped in fear. Aurora even felt Miss. Sasha shudder behind her.

Asuna narrowed her eyes. "Kirito. Take care of Yui," she said, walking forward, pulling her sword from her inventory.

"Uh-huh," Kirito muttered, his sharp eyes still locked on the Army men.

Still walking forward, Asuna unsheathed her sword, glaring at the leader. He chuckled, waving his sword tauntingly.

"What?" he asked as the ginger reached him.

Without saying a word, Asuna drew her sword back, glowing with a menacing pink light, and stabbed it forward into the man with all the strength and speed her stats allowed. The man flew back, landing a few feet away on his back with a cry of shock and pain. He pushed himself up slightly in time to see Asuna standing over him, just as she unleashed the same attack, sending him back again. The men gasped at her in fear and awe. Even Aurora, who knew her skill, was surprised.

"Oh don't worry," Asuna said in a soft, taunting voice as she stood over the leader once more. "It's a safe zone. Your HP wont deplete no matter _what_ I do. There's just the feeling of getting knocked off your feet. Even so…" her voice suddenly switched from mocking to dangerous. "A fight with me is going to scare the hell out of you." As though to emphasize her point, her grip on her sword tightened. The man gasped in fear.

"No! NO!" he blubbered, crawling backwards and away from her. As he was standing, his back to her, Asuna unleashed that same attack a third time, shoving the man onto his face. He lifted his head up.

"Don't just stand there, you ass holes! Do something!" he yelled.

The other men glared at the ginger. She stood up straight, ready for the attack. Aurora sensed the men tense up, and could hear a few of them catch their breaths, as though scared. They inched backwards for only a moment, before running away.

Asuna re-sheathed her sword with a small nod to herself, and let out a breath. Aurora grinned, stepping forward.

"Asuna! Kirito!" she called happily.

"Aurora! What are you doing here?" Asuna asked, hugging the blond tightly.

"I was trying to help too. You were just a lot more effective than me," Aurora said with a laugh. "I heard you two got married and are on leave from the KoB?" she asked.

"Yep! It's actually kind of relaxing," Asuna said. Aurora turned to Kirito as he walked over, the little girl on his back.

"And who's this?" she asked.

"Her name is Yui. We found her on the 22nd floor, Kirito said. The little girl smiled, waving shyly. Aurora smiled warmly back at her.

"That was awesome!" one of the kids suddenly said.

"Ah, I've never seen anything like that before!" one of the other kids said as the three rushed over to Asuna.

"Yeah, you were so cool!" the little girl cheered.

"Thank you for helping us out," Miss. Sasha said, moving over and bowing to Aurora and Asuna. "Both of you."

" _Their Hearts…_ " Yui suddenly said. Aurora felt like she was just punched in the stomach. She turned to look at the little girl to see her reaching for the sky. "Their hearts are…"

"Yui?" Kirito asked. Asuna quickly looked over.

"What's wrong, Yui?" she asked. Aurora's head was spinning though.

After so long of not sensing a single heart, she felt a tiny flicker. It was hollow, but Aurora _recognized_ that feeling. It was the same feeling she got from the hearts in Space Paranoids.

And it was coming from Yui, the same little girl who was talking about hearts now.

 _(What's going on!? Who is that little girl?)_ she thought frantically, watching at the little girl continued to reach upwards, muttering about hearts.

"Yui? What's wrong? Yui!" Kirito called.

It was like a switch. She stopped muttering, and slowly lowered her hand, looking confused and scared.

"Yui, did you remember something?" Asuna asked, sidestepping the other kids and walking over to her and Kirito.

"I… I… was never here. In this place. I was always alone. In the dark," the little girl said, burying her face into Kirito's back. Aurora felt her world tip sideways.

 _(Alone. In the dark._ _She doesn't mean what I think she means… does she? But… no, that's impossible. I can tell. She's from_ this _world. So… what's going on?)_

Sudden noise surrounded them, piercing everyone's ears. Yui screamed, lurching backwards and off of Kirito's back. Asuna dove forward, catching the girl before she hit the ground. The noise stopped.

"Yui!" both Asuna and Kirito called, worry in their voices.

"Mommy! I'm scared! Mommy!" Yui sobbed, burying herself into Asuna.

 _(Wait… 'mommy'?)_

Kirito watched the two of them, worry in his own eyes.

"My god… Yui…" he muttered, just as the little girl passed out in Asuna's arms.

"What was that?" the ginger asked softly, only to receive no answer.

The next day, Asuna, Kirito, Aurora, and Yui were sitting in a chapel. They were sharing a table with Miss. Sasha, which was at the top of the room. Two long tables filled the rest of the room, full of kids eating, playing, and having fun.

"There's so many of them, huh?" Kirito said.

"Yeah, there are," Asuna agreed.

"I know, right?" Miss. Sasha said. "It's like this pretty much every day."

"Hey, is Yui feeling better?" Aurora asked, glancing first at Kirito and Asuna, then at the little girl herself. She was quietly enjoying a roll of some kind, though her dark eyes did flicker up to look at Aurora.

"Well, she got a good night's sleep, so I think she's okay," Kirito said. He noticed Aurora watching her and smiled. "I dunno, you tell me."

"She definitely seems like it," Aurora said with a warm smile.

"Has this ever happened to her before?" Miss. Sasha asked.

"We have no idea. You see, we found her on floor 22, wandering in the forest. The poor thing. She's lost her memory," Asuna explained. "That's the reason we came here."

Suddenly, Yui held her roll up to Aurora. She turned to look at her. "Hm?" she asked.

"Big sister!" she said brightly with a large smile. Aurora gasped at her, but took the roll.

"We thought someone in the Town of Beginnings might know who she is," Asuna finished, watching Yui and Aurora together with a warm smile.

"You live here," Kirito said, turning to Sasha. "Have you ever seen her before?"

While they were talking, Yui climbed into Aurora's lap, resting her head against the older girl's chest as though listening to her heartbeat. Aurora smiled at that, wrapping her arms around the little girl, just as Edym used to do when she'd climb into his lap.

 _(Edym…)_ she thought sadly, before gently kissing the top of the little girl's head. Meanwhile, Miss. Sasha was explaining how the game had effected the numerous kids that lived in the church with her, the psychological trauma, and why she had taken them all in. But… she had never seen Yui before.

"Back to square one," Asuna said softly. Kirito nodded slightly at the comment.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Aurora, with Yui in her arms, followed Miss. Sasha and the other two to the door. Standing there was a severe woman dressed in Army clothes, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She bowed her head.

"Sorry to bother you. I'm Yulier," she said.

"And you're with the Army, right?" Asuna asked. No one looked happy to see her. "I hope you're not here to start trouble, because of yesterday."

"God, no. In fact, I'm here to thank you," she said, looking between Asuna and Aurora. Everyone gasped. "You did right by putting them in their place." She hesitated, before looking between Asuna, Kirito, and Aurora. "Actually, I came here to ask the three of you for your help," she said.

"Seriously?" Asuna asked.

"Perhaps you should come in, so you all can discuss this," Miss. Sasha said. Yui squirmed out of Aurora's arms as they walked back into the church, taking Asuna's hand and skipping alongside her.

Soon, they found themselves seated around a table. Not too long into the talking, Yui was already falling asleep from boredom. Keeping one ear on Yulier, Aurora began to quietly teach her a hand game.

"When the guild was first started, we… well, actually, it was our leader, Thinker. He never wanted it to become the kind of dictatorial organization it's become," Yulier explained. "At first, the mission of the guild was to share information and food equally among as many players as possible."

"But then the guild grew too large, didn't it?" Kirito asked.

"Right," Yulier said. "And after much in-fighting, one man became very powerful. His name is Kibaou," she said. Kirito's eyes widened slightly, as though he recognized the name. "Kibaou and his group became stronger and stronger, monopolizing all the best monster spawn points. They're out of control now, extorting other players under the pretext of collecting taxes."

Yui pasued in her hand game with Aurora to take a sip of her milk.

"It was obvious Kibaou didn't care about clearing the game. And that made a lot of people mad. He had to do something to get back in the good graces. So, he sent the highest level players he had to the front lines."

"You don't mean…" Aurora gasped, turning to look at the woman.

"Corvats," Asuna finished.

"Kibaou was denounced after spearheading that massacre. That's when we started to seriously consider kicking him out of the guild for good." Her voice began to shake. "And now that he's getting scared and desperate, he's attempting to eliminate Thinker."

"'Eliminate'?" Aurora asked, her eyes wide. The woman nodded, her eyes welling with tears.

"He set a trap. Stranded Thinker deep inside a dungeon."

There were gasps from all around the room.

"Can't he teleport out?" Kirito demanded.

Yulier shook her head.

"Does he have any weapons?" Asuna asked.

"He didn't take anything with him," Yulier said. "Kibaou told him he wanted to talk. Unarmed. Thinker believed him."

"Yeah, but to go into a dungeon without at least a dagger is suicide," Aurora said.

"I know. And that was three days ago," Yulier said.

"He's been gone that long!? Even without a weapon… can't he find his way out?" Aurora gasped.

"This dungeon is the highest level we've seen so far…" she replied. "He can't get out of there on his own!" She closed her eyes tightly. "As his second in command, this is _my_ responsibility. But the problem is, my level isn't high enough to reach him. And Kibaou is using his 'influence' to keep the rest of the Army from helping me. When I heard that three of the most powerful players anyone had ever seen were in town, I thought 'this is my chance!' I tracked you down because I need your help!" She suddenly stood. "Kirito. Asuna. Aurora." She bowed slightly, her eyes screwed shut. "I beg you. For Thinker's sake, please help me rescue him from that dungeon."

Kirito, Asuna, and Aurora glanced at each other at the request, before looking back at the desperate woman.

"If you think we can help get Thinker out of there, we'd be glad to help you," Asuna said, before hesitating.

"However… the thing is, we'd like to make sure you're telling the truth," Aurora added.

"I'm sorry. I know we just met, and I'm asking a lot from you," Yulier said, her voice shaking. Aurora could see tears in the corners of her eyes. "But when… I think of him… trapped alone in there…" More tears came, and they began to drip down her face. "I feel like I'm going insane!"

Aurora wished she could sense Yulier's heart. Her ability to pick up lies weren't as accurate as Phoenix's, or Apollo's, but she had a feeling she'd be able to tell if this woman was lying or not. If this woman's _pain_ was real or not.

"It's okay." Everyone jumped slightly and turned to the little girl who had spoken. "Everything she's been telling you is the truth."

"Y-Yui…? You mean you can tell?" Asuna asked in surprise.

The little girl nodded, before frowning slightly. "I don't know how I know she is, but… she is!" Yui smiled up at Asuna. Suddenly, Kirito laughed, causing all of the attention to switch to him.

"If anything, I'd rather trust her and regret it, then not trust her and regret it," Kirito said. Aurora grinned, leaning back in the chair.

"That's right. We've gotten out of some tight spots before. If it's a trap, I'm sure we can again. And if not, we'll be saving a life," Aurora added. They turned to Asuna, who was watching them with a little bit of shock.

"Exactly," Kirito agreed with Aurora. "We should go. It'll all work out, one way or another. Right?" he asked with a grin at his wife. Asuna hesitated a moment longer, before smiling.

"You two are a couple of peas in a pod. Whatever you say," she said with a grin. She then looked up at the woman who was still standing. "Okay. We'll help. I just hope we're strong enough to do it."

Yulier looked at them, her eyes brimming with tears. Aurora smiled sadly at that.

 _(I know what it's like, to be worried about the one you love. And try as you might, you can't get to them as fast as you'd like. Don't worry, Yulier, we'll save him.)_ Aurora thought, her mind jumping to Riku. Thankfully, in this digital world, she didn't have dreams. She didn't see the vision that caused her to leave home in the first place.

But, despite her best efforts in hiding it, she was starting to get antsy. She wanted to leave this world in the capable hands of Kirito and Asuna, and continue on to find Riku and Sora, and to make sure they were okay.

Of course, her dependence on the Star Shard meant she had no control of that. For now, she was stuck. So, she figured she might as well do what she could to help.

…

A little later, the group, plus a stubborn Yui who insisted on coming, were walking through a hallway under the Black Iron Castle in the Town of Beginnings. Yui skipped alongside Aurora, hanging onto her hand. Aurora decided to teach the little girl some of her favorite kids' songs.

"Wow, Big Sister! You sing pretty!" the said. Aurora blushed.

"Thanks. My mom's a music teacher, so I've been learning from a young age," she said. Yui grinned at her, and began trying to learn again.

"So if Aurora is Yui's 'Big Sis,' does that make us Aurora's parents, too?" Kirito asked, causing Asuna to laugh. Aurora scowled at the young man.

"Don't even think I'll call you Mommy and Daddy," she hissed, only to get more laughter.

The hallway itself was large, with high, arching ceilings, made of black brick, and deep underground. Remembering that they were in a floating castle, Aurora was a little scared that they'd keep going until the bottom suddenly opened up, causing them to fall off.

 _(Hopefully not…_ ) she thought as she sang the song with Yui.

"I never knew this dungeon was down here," Asuna said as they followed Yulier.

"I know. There wasn't anything like this during the beta test," Kirito said.

"I think the dungeon opens up to reveal more as the floors above are cleared," Yulier said.

"And since we're up to floor seventy-five…" Aurora said, momentarily distracted from Yui, who tugged on her hand impatiently.

"Right. I bet Kibaou was planning to keep this place all to himself," Yulier nodded.

"Exclusive access to spawns _can_ be profitable," Kirito said. Aurora nodded in agreement.

"Thing is, monsters around here are usually around level sixty. He wouldn't be able to do much hunting.

Finally, they reached a staircase. Yui let go of Aurora's hand and skipped over, taking Asuna's.

"This is the entrance," Yulier said.

"Whoa!" the little girl gasped, looking down at it. Everyone turned to look at her. She smiled. "Don't worry! I'm not afraid!" she announced. Yulier gasped, causing Asuna to smile at her.

"It's okay. Believe it or not, she's a heck of a lot tougher then she looks," the ginger said. Kirito crossed his arms with a proud smile.

"Mhm! She'll make a find Swordswoman someday," he said. Yui smiled and nodded in agreement, looking just like her 'father,' and Aurora couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I'm sure you two will teach her everything you know," she said.

"And you too, Big Sister!" Yui added. "I wanna learn how to use a shield!"

At that, everyone except Yulier laughed. Instead, she turned to the stairs. "We should get going," she said.

As the descended, the walls turned from brick to rough stone. There wasn't much in the dungeon, and it was a while before the group ran into any sort of monsters.

There were frog types. Kirito stepped forward, unsheathing his swords. "I got this," he said, running forward and clearing them out.

The further they went, the more often they ran into these frog monsters. Each time, Kirito would rush forward, easily taking them out with his swords. Each time, Yui watched, bouncing in front of Asuna and giggling. Aurora and Yulier glanced down at her.

 _(Not exactly sure this game is rated E for Everyone…)_ Aurora thought with a small frown.

During about the tenth battle like this, Yulier turned to them.

"I feel like I should apologize. He's doing all the fighting," she muttered to Asuna.

"Oh, no! He's happy out there. Really. He loves getting his battle on," Asuna said with a cheerful smile.

Yulier nodded slightly and pulled up her menu, looking at something. Meanwhile, Aurora crossed her arms.

"We're pretty far down. Are we almost there?" she asked. Her and Asuna moved closer, seeing that she pulled up the position map for Thinker.

"He hasn't moved from this spot for a while now," she said. Yui was suddenly there, at Yulier's elbow, looking as well. "It could be a safe zone, but I'm not sure. If we can reach it, maybe we can use a teleport crystal."

"Phew!" Kirito suddenly said. The girls looked over to see all the monsters gone. "Man! I fought my butt off!" he said happily, rolling his shoulder.

"I should have helped you," Yulier said, closing her menu.

"No, not at all. I had a blast," Kirito replied. "Besides, they dropped some items."

"Really? You get anything good?" Asuna asked.

"Uh-huh!" he said brightly, opening his menu. A moment later, he was holding up a frog leg. Aurora quickly looked away.

 _(Gross!)_ she thought, a little surprised at herself. She usually wasn't squeamish like that, but there was something about that leg and skeeved her out. Asuna gasped in disgust, and Aurora felt better. _(At least I'm not the only one…)_

"Wh-what is that?" the ginger demanded.

"It's scavenged toad meat," Kirito said brightly.

"You mean from those frogs!?"

"Hey, the better the meat, the better the taste," he said, holding it closer to Asuna. Maybe you can cook it up later?"

"Not on your life!" Asuna yelled, snatching the meat and throwing it down the hall.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Kirito yelled as the meat disappeared into greenish-blue light. "OH COME ON! WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR!?" he demanded. He then turned away. "Dammit! Oh, fine!" he muttered. Aurora could hear the sounds of his menu opening once again, and suddenly, he turned back to them with an arm full of frog legs. "What am I going to do with these!?"

"Eh!?" Asuna gasped, grossed out. Aurora couldn't help but start giggling. It was just so ridiculous, it was funny.

That's when Asuna started winging them over her shoulders, where they shared the fate of the first one, screaming no, over and over, while Kirito protested, trying to get her to stop.

Yulier started chuckling as well.

"You smiled!" Yui said in bright eyed innocence. Aurora and Yulier looked down at the little girl to see her staring at the latter. Even Kirito and Asuna looked over.

"I've never ever seen you smile before!" the little girl said to Yulier. The woman's eyes widened slightly, before she gave the little girl a soft smile. Yui grinned back at her.

"Come on," Asuna said, taking her 'daughter's' hand. "Let's go."

The five continued on for hours, until eventually Yui was asleep on Asuna's back. They continued to run into monsters, but they easily fell under Kirito's and Aurora's blades. Finally, in the distance, they saw a bright, white light that signaled a safe room.

"Look! A safe zone!" Asuna said. Yui woke up slightly on her back, while Kirito's eyes lit up with green light.

"There's a player inside," he said. Yulier gasped, looking over at him.

"It's Thinker!" she called, running forward.

"Yulier, wait!" Aurora called after her, only to be ignored. The three glanced at each other, before running after the woman.

"Yulier!" a man's voice called from the room. She smiled.

"Thinker!" she called back, waving her arm wildly over her head. The trio smiled at each other.

"NO! STAY AWAY!" Thinker screamed, causing Asuna, Kirito, and Aurora to look up in horror. "THE CORRIDOR'S RIGGED!"

Yulier didn't seem to hear that. Suddenly, Kirito dashed forward, quickly overtaking Yulier and shoving her forward, falling to the ground with her. A scythe slammed into the spot they were just at seconds later. Aurora caught a glimpse of Kirito's horrified face as rubble was kicked up from the attack.

The black walls suddenly became a poisonous purple as Asuna and Aurora caught up with Kirito and Yulier. The scythe lifted up, and Aurora saw that it was actually a boss, flying away from them. Kirito gave chase, Aurora right on his heels. She faintly heard Asuna asking Yulier to take Yui to the safe zone, but was focused on the monster in front of them.

Suddenly, Asuna joined them, just as they got a clear view of the monster.

It was the Grim Reaper.

"Asuna. Aurora. Use a teleport crystal and get Yui and the others out of here now," Kirito said, just as the monster lifted his weapon. "I can't see its data with my ID skill. It could be as strong as something from floor 90!"

"Then I'm not leaving you alone to face it," Aurora said, raising her shield and gripping her dagger. "We can buy you time, Asuna. Just get everyone out of here!"

"No way am I leaving you two here!" Asuna said.

"We'll catch up!" Kirito said, knowing he couldn't get rid of Aurora, and more than a little thankful she wanted to stay, especially with her Barrier skill. "MOVE IT!"

"Take care of Yui! Run while you still have a chance!" Asuna called. Kirito gasped, turning to look at the girl.

"Asuna!"

"No! We can't lea—" Yulier started.

"HURRY!" Asuna yelled. The monster started to move closer. The three of them, with Kirito in the middle, formed a line to face him.

Suddenly, if shot forward. Aurora moved forward, bringing up her shield, bracing it by crossing her right wrist behind her left, and activating her Barrier Skill.

The Grim Reaper monster twisted his scythe as he swung, shattering the skill and getting inside her guard. It yanked her forward, dislodging the shield from her grasp. Before she could react, he swung once more, sending Aurora flying backwards.

Aurora slammed into the wall, and dropped to the ground. Her vision blurred and tripled for a moment, before settling. She glanced up at her HP.

It had dropped a lot. She only had one hit point left. Her vision blurring again as she forced her head up, she saw Asuna and Kirito flung backwards as well, hitting the ground.

"Well, well. Once again, it seems you are not strong enough," a mocking voice said from Aurora's left. A chill shot through her as she sensed darkness. The darkness of a heart.

"Y-you…" she growled, attempting to push herself up.

"Careful. You are just barely hanging on to life," the voice said, and suddenly, the cloaked figure that had been haunting her since she left home entered her line of sight. She glared weakly up at him. "The Star Shard must have bought you here to help these people. And again, you failed. Like these poor souls trapped in this game, your friends are trapped, forced to travel from world to sleeping world. The realm of dreams is not too different from this virtual existence. If you cannot save your friends here, where you are with them, how can you ever hope to save Sora and Riku, when you are worlds away?" Aurora glanced up at the man, seeing a cruel smirk on his lips, before he vanished.

She looked back to her friends, and to the monster, only to see Yui standing between them.

"Y-Yui!" she tried to cry, but it came out as a breathless gasp.

The monster swung his scythe at the little girl.

"NO!" Aurora cried.

Just before the scythe hit, the Star Shard appeared in her hand, glowing, and Aurora was ripped away from this world.

…

The Mysterious Tower was silent as the King, Donald, Goofy, and Yen Sid were lost in their own thoughts, thinking about the two boys who were going through their Marks of Mastery. Donald and Goofy were staring out the moon-shaped window, while Mickey looked through books he had read thousands of times while training under Yen Sid. The old Master himself was seated at his desk, his eyes closed.

"Gee, I hope Sora's okay," Donald said, finally breaking the silence.

"He'll be just fine as long as Riku's with him," Goofy said confidently.

Mickey suddenly gasped. "You don't think—No!" he said, whirling around. "Master Yen Sid!" The wizard's eyes opened at the sound of his ex-apprentice's urgency. Donald and Goofy turned to face their king as well. Before he could say anything else, though, a large black bird flew into the window, carrying something in its beak and claws.

"Look! It's a raven!" Goofy said.

"Uh-oh," Mickey muttered, recognizing the bird as the dark fairy's as it hovered over the desk.

"That raven is Maleficent's," Yen Sid said.

"What's it got?" Donald asked. The bird dropped the two things and left as the King and his aids moved to the desk.

Sitting where they were dropped was a gold tiara with a red emblem on the front, and a scroll.

"Why, that's Minnie's." Mickey's voice was shaking as he stared at the crown. He reached forward and took the scroll, unrolling it and reading.

"Well?" Donald asked.

"Huh!?" Mickey gasped.

"Gawrsh, what's it say?" Goofy asked.

Mickey closed his eyes, putting the paper back on the desk, anger crossing his features.

"It's from Maleficent. She's kidnapped Minnie."

"She took Queen Minnie!?" Donald and Goofy gasped in unison. Mickey nodded.

"The letter says for me to return to Disney Castle… or else."

"Mickey, there is no time to waste," Yen Sid said urgently.

"Okay," the king said, before turning to his two friends. "You fellas stay here."

Donald and Goofy snapped to attention, saluting their king. "King Mickey, we're going with you!" they announced. Mickey's eyes widened slightly, before he smiled.

"Gosh… I guess you're right, pals. We friends need to stick together," he said. He turned back to the wizard. "Master Yen Sid, we'll be back!"

…

Edym couldn't believe his parents kept his old room exactly how he left it. His bed still had the same teal bed sheets and blue comforter as when he left that morning long ago (though, of course, it was made thanks to his mother), his notebooks were spread across his desk, his old clothes were still in his dresser and closet, and his old teal and blue guitar sat in its stand near the window.

Thankful he didn't grow that much since he was nineteen, he changed out of the organization cloak, pulling on a light blue long sleeved shirt, with a dark gray tee-shirt. The tee shirt had white around the collar and sleeves, and a white diamond with a stylized G in the center on the front, the logo for one of his favorite bands. He pulled on a pair of dark denim jeans, and a belt that had two silver chains hanging off. Completing his look, he threw on a pair of converse sneakers he found in the bottom of his closet, and wound a pair of headphones around his neck, slipping his now _ancient_ MP3 player in his pocket, hoping it still worked.

He then returned downstairs. Gwen had Phoenix on speaker phone.

"So, where exactly is Aurora?" he asked, thinking he might surprise her by portaling to whatever country she was in.

" _Err…. Hey, Edym,"_ Phoenix said nervously. Gwen and Hank were positively steaming, while Jeremy and Astrea sat back, worried about what was about to befall their son.

"What's going on?" Edym demanded, looking around at the group.

"Aurora wasn't sent abroad by the Legal League of Attorneys," Hank said.

" _She's off-world,"_ Phoenix sighed.

"What!?"

" _Not too long ago, she had a nightmare, but to her, it felt like a warning. She felt like she had to go warn Riku and Sora, so… I covered for her,"_ Phoenix explained.

"But… wait. If I'm back… returned to normal—" ( _That means the others of the organization are too! Like Axel… and Saïx… and Xemnas!)_ Edym's eyes widened, and he turned, lifting his hand. Darkness appeared a few inches from his fingertips, forming a portal.

"Whoa!" Hank gasped.

" _What the-!?"_ Phoenix cried in surprise from the other end of the phone.

"I'll be back. With Aurora," Edym said before plunging through the portal.

" _Edym!? What are you doing here!?"_ Phoenix asked.

…

 **A/N:** Almost 20,000 words... *dead*


	6. Feudal Japan

**A/N:** Here we go again! I'm really trying to update faster. I… honestly forget where this one was voted, so… sorry!

Also, where I was watching the movie was acting really slow, and some days when I went to work on this, the site wouldn't work at all, so… again, sorry!

Well, here we go!

…

Chapter Six: Feudal Japan

Disney castle was usually very peaceful. Unfortunately, that was not the case today.

King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy stood in the library, across from Maleficent and Pete, who was holding the queen captive.

"Pete, you big thug!" Donald yelled as those three glared at the villains. Pete laughed.

"'Thug' works for me!" he jiped. "We all got a role to play, right?"

"Gawrsh, at least he's honest, in a dishonest way," Goofy sighed.

"Silence!" Maleficent snapped at Pete, who winced slightly. "No underling of mine shall be insulted so." Pete covered his mouth, realizing he had insulted himself. "I have great plans for dear Pete and for all the worlds, once I have taken them for my own," the Dark Fairy continued.

"Then I've got bad news for you—that day's never gonna come," Mickey countered.

"Hmph," the woman scoffed. "Perhaps you should take a few moments to reconsider," she said, glancing at the queen. Mickey's frown deepened, his hands clenching into fists. "Or does the Queen's life mean nothing to you at all?"

Minny managed to get her mouth free of Pete's hand. "Mickey! Don't you listen to her!" the queen cried. "You can't let Maleficent have her-!" Pete covered her mouth once more.

"No! Minnie!" Mickey cried, reaching out for her. He scowled, then turned back to the dark fairy. "Alright, Maleficent. Tell us what you want," he said.

"Let me see… shall I begin with this world?" Maleficent said. "I much preferred it in its darker, more ominous permutation."

"You said it. This place needs some lights-out time!" Pete said.

"You're lying, Maleficent," Mickey said, seeing right through her. "Not even you would go through this much trouble just for that. What is it you're really after?"

The dark fairy let out a disgusted sigh, before smiling. "Very perceptive," she said. "I presume you are familiar with Xehanort, the man who led me to discover worlds outside of my own?"

"You know him!?" Mickey gasped.

"As do you, I see," the Maleficent smirked. "Yes, he shared everything with me—" her smile became crazed, "how to go about winning a heart over to the darkness, and, most gloriously, about the seven hearts of pure light—the ones that would grant me the power I need to conquer all worlds." She sighed once more, this time wearily. "However, the worlds were too complex, too much for even me to contain. It seemed I had miscalculated."

She smirked once more. "Then it came to me—of course! I could go about conquering other worlds in my own manner. You do have the 'data' for all the worlds, do you not?" she asked. Pete snickered. "And now you will hand it over to me," she finished. The three jumped in surprise.

"What do ya mean!?" Mickey demanded.

"Don't you bozos pretend you don't remember," Pete snapped. "Me and Maleficent was trapped inside it. Now cough it up!"

"Why do you want the data?" Mickey asked.

"I'm afraid that is no concern of yours," Maleficent said. Mickey growled, glaring at the two villains.

"Ah-ah-ah… Wouldn't want her Royal Minnie Mousiness to get a boo-boo, now would we?" Pete mocked.

"I see you have failed to recognize the futility of your situation," Maleficent said, walking forward towards the three. "Very well." The orb on her staff glowed with a green, sickly light. "Face your doom!" Green fire leapt from her staff as she swung it towards the trio, forming a ball that rocketed towards them. They cried out in surprise, taken off guard.

Two red and silver blurs shot from a portal that appeared at the side of the room, one intercepting the fairy's spell, another flying towards the two villains. Pete lurched backwards with a "whoa!" as it nearly struck him, releasing the queen.

Seeing her chance, she jumped into the air. "Light!" she cried, casting a light spell and knocking Pete further away from her. He fell to the ground, and Maleficent had to turn away from its brightness, allowing the Queen to rush forward. Mickey shot forward, meeting her in the middle of the room.

"Oh, Mickey!" the Queen gasped as the two caught each other's hands.

"Minnie!" the King said happily. He then let go of her, stepping between her and the villains. Donald and Goofy charged forward to stand with them, and the king, the court magician, and the captain of the knights summoned their weapons.

"Maleficent… you lose!" Mickey announced.

The woman growled, glaring at the royal entourage.

"Say, uh, milady, I think the pipsqueak's right. We better hit the road!" Pete said, turning to look at his boss.

"I now know that what I seek lies within these walls," Maleficent said, not taking her eyes off of the King. "Trust that I will eliminate you in good time." She turned, walking away.

"Hey! Wait for me! Maleficent?" Pete called, following after the woman as she entered a dark portal that she summoned.

Mickey banished his Keyblade and turned to face the first portal, the one that was still open. From it stepped a man in a black coat. He casually walked over to where one of his weapons still stuck from the ground.

"You used the darkness to get here?" Mickey asked, his eyes flickering to the portal, then back to the man. He didn't get an answer, but it was obvious enough. "That was reckless." The man reached down, pulling his weapon from the ground. "But gosh, I didn't expect _you_ to save us, Axel."

"Axel didn't," the man said as he placed his weapon over his shoulder, shaking his head. "My name is Lea. Got it memorized?"

…

"Not too long ago, she had a nightmare, but to her, it felt like a warning. She felt like she had to go warn Riku and Sora, so… I covered for her," Phoenix explained into the phone, leaning back in his chair in his office. He could already feel a migraine coming on. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

 _(I'm ecstatic that he's back, and that he's not dead and not a Nobody, but… I've got a really bad feeling. And this just complicates things…)_

" _But… wait. If I'm back… returned to normal—"_ Edym's voice drifted from the other end, before suddenly cutting off.

" _Whoa!"_ Phoenix heard Uncle Hank gasp.

"BOSS!" Athena suddenly screamed from outside his office. Phoenix shot to his feet and threw open the door, only to see a portal of darkness swirling in the corner of the reception room. Athena, Trucy, and Apollo were pressed against the wall on the other side.

"What the-!?" Phoenix gasped, staring at it with huge eyes.

" _I'll be back. With Aurora,_ " Edym's voice came from the other end of the phone, which was still pressed, but forgotten, against Phoenix's ear. Then a figure materialized, stepping from the darkness, which began to fade. It was a man in his twenties, with dark blond, spiky hair, wearing jeans and an old, faded Gavinners shirt. Phoenix recognized the symbol on the front as the very first rendition of the band's logo.

"Edym!? What are you doing here!?" Phoenix gasped in shock, the phone slipping from his fingers.

" _Edym!?"_ Trucy gasped, her eyes wide. The blond was glaring at Phoenix, however, and he didn't look to happy.

"Where did Aurora say she was going?" he demanded. Phoenix sighed, before looking at the other three in the room.

"Athena, Apollo, you can go home early. I'm closing the office for the rest of the day. Trucy… please, just go with your brother."

"But, Daddy—" Trucy began.

"Please. I'll explain everything later," Phoenix pleaded. They hesitated, before quickly gathering their stuff, and leaving. Edym stared at Phoenix the entire time.

"Well?" he demanded once the others were gone. Phoenix gave the young man a wry smile.

"It's nice to see you, too," Phoenix said.

"Knock it off! This is serious! You _know_ Aurora was kidnapped by Xemnas and his goons before, and if I've returned, don't you think they have, too?" Edym snapped. Phoenix's eyes widened.

"I… hadn't thought of that," he admitted. "Like I said over the phone, she felt she had to warn Sora and Riku."

"So their home then. Destiny Islands?" Edym said, before lifting his hand.

"No," Phoenix said, cupping his chin in thought. "The boys were heading somewhere to take some kind of exam. Where was it again?" He was quiet for a moment, before nodding. "Right. Master Yen Sid's Tower. Do you know where that is?"

"Yes," Edym said, summoning another portal. Phoenix stepped forward, catching his shoulder.

"Edym… let me come with you." The younger man turned to face his cousin. "Look, her safety is my responsibility. I've already failed once, by letting her get kidnapped that one time. Let me make it up this time."

"But if it comes to a fight—" Edym began.

"Then I'll stay out of your way. Please," Phoenix pleaded. Edym hesitated a moment longer, before sighing.

"I forgot how stubborn you were," he muttered. Phoenix grinned.

"I like to think that's one of my charms," he countered.

"I don't think you know what that word means," Edym said, stepping through the portal, Phoenix following him.

…

Pain. That was the first thing Aurora was aware of upon fuzzy consciousness. She moaned softly, turning her head, and saw a red and silver blurry figure.

"… _why… help… plan… Naraku…"_ a growl reached her ears, but she couldn't make it out. The darkness closed around her again, and she gave into its comforting embrace.

The next time Aurora woke up, the pain had dulled slightly, but it was still there. She couldn't pinpoint the source at all, either, despite being a lot more aware this time. She slowly peeled open her eyes, noticing the area she was in was dark. Glancing down, she found herself laying on a straw mat on the wooden floor.

Then the feelings hit her. A mixture of hot and cold, coming from all directions. After so long in that virtual world, sensing hearts again—

The Virtual World. Aincrad. "Yui…" she whispered, tears rolling down her face. _(I failed. I failed, and a little girl is dead. Asuna and Kirito probably are too…)_ she thought in despair.

"Ah! You're awake!" a kind voice said, just as a face appeared above her's. Aurora blinked up at the woman. She was probably about fifteen, with long, thick black hair and dark eyes. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I-I'm okay," Aurora muttered, sensing a great warmth from her. _(Light.)_ she thought. She carefully pushed herself up and looked down at herself. She was back in her usual outfit of the teal, short-sleeved Themis hoodie, open, with a black shirt underneath, her game pins and attorney badge, denim shorts, teal belt, Timberland Work boots, the pink ribbon, her class ring, and the shield wrist band. Reaching up, she felt her locket around her neck. Her bag laid on the ground next to her, and she reached into it, pulling out a potion and drinking it.

Strength flowed through her body. On habit, picked up from Aincrad, she glanced up to where her HP bar had been, only to find it gone.

 _(Right. Not in a video game anymore…)_ she thought. She then looked around. The woman had moved back a little, watching her. She was wearing a school uniform that was a lot like the one Aurora had worn at Themis, except that her's had a white shirt, red scarf, and green skirt. On the other side of the room sat a man with long black hair and dark brown eyes, wearing a red kimono.

He was glaring at her.

"Tch. I don't see why we had to bring her in here," he growled. "Your bleeding heart is going to cost us our lives, Kagome."

The woman, who seemed to be Kagome, looked at the man with a frown. "I couldn't just leave her out there, Inuyasha. She would have died!" she snapped. She then turned to Aurora. "Ignore him. I'm Kagome. What's your name?" she asked.

"Um, Aurora," Aurora said, uncomfortable under Inuyasha's glare, especially when seeing that he held a sword.

"It's nice to meet you," Kagome said. Inuyasha sniffed impatiently. Kagome sighed. "Look… come sunrise, we'll be facing a dangerous enemy. You should get out of here," Kagome said. Aurora hesitated, glancing at the door.

"I… you saved me, right? Let me make it up to you. Let me help."

"Can you fight?" Inuyasha growled. Aurora nodded in determination.

"Yes," she said. Unlike in Aincrad, she could feel her magical reserves. They were full, and ready for use.

"Alright. Then stay in here with Inuyasha until the plan goes into motion. Are you sure you're okay?" Kagome asked.

"Yes. Um… that thing I drank when I woke up healed me," Aurora said.

"A potion?" Inuyasha suddenly asked, his eyes widening. "You must be some kind of Witch then."

"Um, yes?" Aurora said. Inuyasha smirked, glancing up at Kagome.

"Well, well. Naraku won't be expecting this one," he said with a sort of savage glee. Kagome grinned and nodded, before standing and taking up watch at the window.

While they waited for night to pass, Aurora was stretching, both her body and her senses. She was slowly getting used to feeling hearts again. Inuyasha was the oddest she had ever sensed. It was balanced between light and dark, but… it seemed like the two halves were fighting for dominance. Right now, the light half was the stronger one. Then there was a faint feeling of a heart inside the hut, like a tiny, tiny one, but Aurora couldn't pinpoint it. She could sense Kagome's bright light by the window, and three others outside somewhere.

She also checked her supplies, thankful to see the Col she earned in Aincrad had translated back into Munny, as well as her supply of potions, ethers, and elixirs. Even her Star Shard was back in her bag. _(Kagome must have done that when they found me. No doubt it had been in my hand…)_

Finally, she rested back against the wall, trying to keep her thoughts off of Aincrad. Of Yui, Asuna, Kirito… Yulier and Thinker. But when she wasn't keeping her mind busy with thoughts, the image of that monster striking down Yui kept popping into her mind. She closed her eyes tight, trying to banish the thoughts.

After a bit, one of the hearts Aurora had sensed entered the building, just as Inuyasha growled. Aurora looked up to see him looking at himself in a little pocket mirror. "Damn it. When is this night going to end!?"

The one who just entered, a little boy with ginger hair and… a fox tail? ran over. "It's almost over! Try to be patient!" he said.

"If you go out now, Naraku will find out that you lose your demonic powers on the night of the full moon and then all will be—" Aurora turned to find a flea sized man bouncing around as he spoke, cut off only by falling into a crack. She narrowed her eyes after him.

 _(I thought I sensed another heart in here…)_ she thought. Then his words hit her. _(Wait! Demonic powers? Does that mean…)_ she turned to look at the man in red, who glared at her. He then growled in frustration, his grip on his sword sheath tightening.

"Alright. Now that I'm sure Aurora's okay, I'm going," Kagome said, slinging a quiver of arrows onto her back.

"Kagome," Inuyasha suddenly said. She turned to him. "You better make it back in one piece," he growled. Kagome nodded, before leaving the hut. Aurora glanced out the window, seeing the sky change from dark to gray.

"You said at sunrise, right?" she asked. Inuyasha nodded, following her gaze. Aurora activated her shield, and warmth flooded her. _(It's nice to have this back…_ ) she thought.

"Whoa…" the little boy gasped.

Suddenly, icy cold fingers wrapped around Aurora's heart as she sensed a very dark heart moving closer to the hut, one of the lighter hearts pursuing it. She quickly pushed herself to a half kneeling, half crouched position, her narrowed eyes on the window, her shield raised and ready. She could sense one of the other light beings place himself directly in the dark one's path.

"What is it?" Inuyasha demanded.

"I think I sense your enemy," Aurora said, clenching her left hand in anticipation. Waiting for battle was completely different from actually being in battle. It was a lot harder to stay calm.

Then the dark one was right on top of one of the light hearts. Aurora could hear a distant cry of shock and pain.

"I have to go!" the little boy gasped, darting out. A moment later, Inuyasha and Aurora heard him yell: "Kagome! Look out!" right before there was an explosion.

"Damn it! What's going on!?" Inuyasha growled, moving closer to the window.

Outside the window, they saw a large brown figure.

"Um… that's thing's a spider. A really big… spider," Aurora gasped. _(Where's Nick with a rolled up newspaper when you need him to squash a bug!?)_

"Hmph. Naraku's true form," Inuyasha growled.

A large boomerang flew at the beast, only to be repelled by a shimmer of light. Aurora gasped softly. "A barrier?"

"He's fond of those," Inuyasha snarled, watching with narrowed eyes. A few moments later, the spider was chasing Kagome, who was riding on the back of a large bird? – Aurora was so confused – while two other voices argued. Inuyasha growled.

"What the hell do they think they're doing out there?" he demanded. "I can't stand it anymore!" He charged towards the door.

"Wait, Inuyasha!" Aurora said, grabbing his wrist.

"Let me go," he growled.

"No. Look, you get your powers back at sunrise, right? It's _almost sunrise!_ " she pleaded. She didn't know the man too well, and frankly, he scared her, but if he was being forced to wait until his powers returned, that meant he was powerless right now, right? He'd only be in the way.

The sound of Kagome's cries suddenly reached them from the window. Inuyasha turned quickly, calling her name, and shoving Aurora aside.

That's when they saw the spider charging right at the hut.

"No!" Aurora gasped, closing her eyes tightly. There was a crash, and the sound of Kagome's cries, but… no pain. Then, from Inuyasha's heart nearby, there was a pulse of darkness, and his light half was pushed back slightly.

Aurora opened her eyes to see that Inuyasha had grabbed her, protecting her with his own body. Looking up at the man, she gasped, surprised to see him completely unharmed.

He had also changed.

In place of the black hair, it was now silver, with dog ears peeking out of his thick hair. Brown eyes were now gold, and fangs peeks out over his bottom lip. He let her go, and she took a step back, her eyes wide. He unsheathed his sword, which, in a flash of light, grew into a large broad sword with fur at the cross-hilt, and pointed it at the spider.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Naraku," he said with a smirk. He then turned to Aurora and lowered slightly. "Get on."

"R-right," Aurora said, climbing onto his back. He jumped clear over the water that surrounded the lake, and rushed forward.

"I'm the one you really want to fight!" he yelled at the spider, making it turn to face him. Aurora gripped his shoulder in her right hand, trying to figure out which spell to cast with her left.

"Now, Lord Inuyasha! Use the Tessaiga to break the barrier!" a voice called from the end of his hair. Glancing back, Aurora saw it was the little flea man from before.

"Right!" Inuyasha said.

"Now, if you'll excuse me." The flea man let go, falling away.

"Wait, he fell!" Aurora called.

"Leave him! Myōga let go on purpose, the little coward!" Inuyasha growled, before jumping into the air with a battle cry, the blade of his sword turning blood red. He swung it down, and red light shot forward, shattering the spider's barrier.

"Yes! It worked!" Aurora cried. Then she noticed something that chilled her to the bone. On the back of the spider, hidden inside the red markings, was one symbol that was very familiar to her.

It was the Heartless symbol.

She clenched her teeth, her eyes narrowing.

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked, sensing the change in her.

"He's Heartless. Or half Heartless. I travel around defeating them. Looks like this just became my battle, too," she said.

"Well, then. Even better," the man growled, landing in a crouch. "We need to immobilize him." He looked up. "Looks like Miroku and Sango are going to the right."

"Leave the left to me," Aurora said, jumping off his back and jumping towards the lake. " _WATERGA!"_ she yelled. The surface of the lake lifted, creating a wave like wall of water. Aurora jumped onto it, and the current wrapped around her feet, shooting her forward. With another water spell on her shield, cloaking it in the enchanted liquid and forming it into a blade, she shot alongside the large arachnid, slashing his legs from under him. The blade cut through the appendages like a warm knife through butter, and the monster collapsed into water.

Aurora continued her first spell, making it circle back to the bit of shore she had left Inuyasha on. As she reached him, Kagome and her bird landed, the bird transforming back into the kid with the fox tail.

"Inuyasha! Aurora!" she called.

"Kagome. Where's the jewel shard on his body?" Inuyasha demanded. Kagome focused on the writhing bug, her eyes narrowed.

"It's… on his back. In that strange heart symbol," she said.

"Is the jewel his weak spot?" Aurora asked, looking at the other two. They nodded. Then Inuyasha launched himself into the air and over the bug, dropping sword-point first.

"DIIIIIIIEEEEEE!" he screamed. The sword sunk halfway to the hilt, only for the spider to explode, sending Inuyasha flying.

He landed on the shore, slashing at bits of flash that flew at him. Aurora dove in front of Kagome and the kid.

" _Reflera!"_ she called, and a crystalline barrier blossomed from her shield, protecting them from spider flesh.

Unfortunately, the flesh fused back together, and surged towards the man.

" _Inuyasha! Inuyasha!"_ It chanted in a haunting voice, rising up around the man, wrapping around him. " _Become one with my body!"_

Then Aurora saw some of it moving towards her. " _Give me your heart!_ "

"No!" Aurora yelled, backing away. She concentrated for a moment, before holding her left hand up. " _BAUBILLIOUS!"_ she cried, using a spell she learned in The Wizarding World. A bright light flashed from her shield, forcing the fleshy monster back. She jumped away and turned, only to see Inuyasha completely hidden from sight by the spider flesh attacking him.

"No!" she cried, casting the same spell. It was slightly weaker this time, and only caused where it hit to writhe. Even with the efforts of the rest of the team, it wasn't enough. Instead, it started attacking them. One tendril slammed into Aurora's shield as she raised it in front of her chest, just in time.

Suddenly, the writhing form exploded, and Inuyasha jumped clear, his sword glowing white.

"Keep moving, or you'll wind up getting caught again!" Kagome yelled.

"I know that!" Inuyasha growled, jumping away as the mass started moving again.

Suddenly, like some kind of demonic butterfly, a cocoon formed, only to open to reveal a pale, shirtless man with red eyes and black, long hair. He was only visible from the waist up, and he had spider like appendages sprouting from his back. On his chest was the red and black Heartless symbol, right over the spot where his heart should be.

"Try as you might, your attempts are in vain," he laughed. Aurora joined Inuyasha, Kagome, and the kid, her shield raised, ready for anything.

"Says you!" Inuyasha said. "I'll hack you into pieces sooner or later!"

Suddenly, a large boomerang, reinforced by a staff, flew in, slicing the man at the waist and separating him from the rest of the writhing mass. He growled.

"Wretched fools!" he yelled.

Aurora, seeing her chance, rushed forward. " _Watera!"_ she yelled. A bubble of water appeared, trapping the man's torso and head. She then held her hand straight up. _"THUNDAGA!"_ the sky grew dark, and bolts of lightning rained down on the water spell. She jumped back as Inuyasha rushed forward.

"It ends here, Naraku. _WIND SCAR!_ " he yelled, stabbing his sword into the ground. The ground erupted in light, shooting directly towards the man.

"It's over Naraku!" Kagome yelled, letting an arrow fly. It glowed with its own light as it combined with Inuyasha's attack, and both slammed into the man, causing him to explode into blinding light. Aurora hid behind a tree at the shockwave, breathless from the power of that last attack.

As the wind cleared, the group slowly came together. "Did we finally defeat him?" the little kid asked, running over to where Inuyasha was slowly letting go of Kagome. Aurora walked over to join them. She looked around, spotting a man - _(I think Inuyasha called him Miroku?)_ – unwrap a set of beads from around his right hand, and study his palm. A faint wind seemed to come from it for just a moment, before stopping. Seeming in shock, he sat down on the log behind him and looked up. The kid bounced over to him.

"Hey? What's wrong, Miroku?" he asked.

"Shippo…"

"Hm?"

"Look." Miroku held his palm up for Shippo to see.

Shippo screamed, jumping away from his palm, before scrambling into a hole in the log.

But… nothing happened.

"Take a good look, Shippo," Mirko said, still looking up and at the sky. Shippo looked again, only to let out another scream.

"Miroku's Wind Tunnel is disappeared!" Inuyasha, Kagome, and the other woman – _(Sango I think?)_ – said in unison.

"Um, Wind Tunnel?" Aurora asked.

"A curse Naraku put on his family," the woman said. She then turned to Aurora. "I'm Sango, by the way. It's good to see you up and about," she said. Aurora smiled, shaking her hand.

"Aurora. Thank you for your help."

"No, thank you! If you hadn't helped us defeat Naraku, well… you helped out a lot of people today," she said with a warm smile. Aurora smiled back at her.

"Hey, let's go find somewhere to set up camp for the night," Inuyasha said.

"Right. But, before we do…" It was like life had re-entered Miroku as he stood, clearing his throat and walking over to Aurora. He took her hand in both of his, bowing at the waist.

"My noble lady, it was quite brave of you to help us in a battle that was not your own. Please, grant me this one wish. Would you do me the honor of bearing my children?" he asked.

"Wh-what!?" Aurora gasped, lurching back, her face blood-red.

Then it actually hit her what he said.

"Get away from me, you perv!" she yelled, her free hand moving on its own violation. A loud slap resounded through the trees, and Miroku took a step back, a red hand mark vivid on his pale cheek.

"Typical Miroku," Kagome said, while Sango glared at the man.

"Lecherous monk," Inuyasha added, before turning and leading the way.

…

Because of her help, the group invited Aurora to travel with them for a while, and Aurora was happy to take the invite. That night, they set up camp, and Kagome, Sango, and Shippo dragged Aurora with them towards a hot spring.

Despite her shyness, Aurora stripped down with the other girls, folded her clothes beside their's, and joined them in the water.

"This feels great," Kagome murmured.

"Mhm," Aurora muttered, though she kept one arm across her chest, and the other hand covering her lower regions. She had never been to a public bathhouse before, and this was even worse, being out in the wild!

"It's been ages since we relaxed like this," Kagome added, before turning to look at Aurora. "So, what's your story?" she asked.

"Me? Oh, um, I travel around, fighting creatures of darkness. I'm actually trying to find two friends of mine," Aurora explained.

"'Creatures of darkness?'" Sango asked. "Like demons?"

"No, what I fight are different. They're called Heartless. They're mindless beings who go after hearts. The, um, figurative kind," Aurora explained.

"Yeah. Demons aren't mindless at all!" Shippo said with a nod, and Aurora remembered that the little boy _was_ a demon.

"And your friends?" Kagome asked. Aurora reached up, touching her locket. It was the one thing she refused to take off. Not that Kagome took off her necklace either, a small bottle full of jewel-shards.

"Sora and Riku. They left home before me, and I'm trying to find them," she replied, before sinking more into the water, careful not to get that wet though. Everyone fell silent for a while, before Sango looked up at the other girl.

"Kagome? What do you plan to do, now that Naraku is dead?" she asked.

"Don't know," Kagome said, before thinking for a moment. "Well, I guess I still have to find the Sacred Jewel Shards," she added. "Remember, we didn't find the shards that Naraku had."

She closed her eyes, lowering her head so that the water came up to just below her nose.

She seemed to be having her own sad thoughts.

After a few moments, Sango stood, turning to look between the rocks. Aurora and Kagome both looked up to see some nasty scar tissue on the woman's back.

"Sango?" Kagome asked. The woman glanced over her shoulder. "We have to look for your brother, Kohaku, too."

Sango nodded slightly, before looking up at the sliver of moon. "With Naraku gone, I wonder how he's doing," she muttered. Aurora looked over at her.

"Naraku… took your brother?" she asked, finding herself feeling a kinship towards the woman.

"Yes. Hopefully, he's free now," Sango said. Aurora nodded, finding herself thinking of Edym once again.

 _(I wasn't able to save him, but… maybe I can help Sango save her brother?_ ) she thought, while Kagome and Shippo comforted the woman. She smiled at them with a nod, and Kagome stood as well. Aurora looked away. She might be a woman, like them, and they might not be shy, but she was.

Suddenly, she sensed a heart not too far away from them.

"Who-?" she began to mutter to herself, trying to peer into the dark. She couldn't see a thing, thanks to Kagome's lantern.

"Excuse me! You there, sir!" a voice echoed from the trees. That one, Aurora recognized as Miroku's, enforced by the fact that his heart was moving closer. Kagome squeaked and quickly ducked back down into the water, while Aurora gasped, trying to hide more.

"Who's there!" Sango yelled.

"Would you care to explain what you are do-!" Sango threw a log with deadly accuracy, cutting Miroku off, and suddenly, he slid down the hill, coming to a stop just at the edge if the water. Sango glared at him, her arms crossed.

Aurora wanted to dig a hole and burry herself in it. _(WHY DID I AGREE TO THIS AGAIN!?)_ she silently screamed.

"Give it a rest, Miroku! Can't we even bathe in private?" Sango snarled at the man.

"You've got it wrong!" Miroku cried. "I was just standing guard to protect you from danger! Nothing more!"

"The only protection we need is against you!" Sango said, lifting up one of the rocks. Horror crossed Miroku's face.

"WAIT! SANGO! DON'T BE RASH!" he cried, before trying to run away.

The rock landed directly on him.

"What was that!" Inuyasha yelled, rushing forward, his sword jumping from its sheath. Kagome screamed.

"Inuyasha you pervert! SIT!" she yelled. The beads around the man's neck flashed, and he was yanked into the water. Aurora screamed and scrambled out of the pool while Kagome and Inuyasha argued. She quickly grabbed her clothes and hid behind one of the rocks, getting dressed, not caring that she was wet.

 _(Never. Never again.)_ she thought. After a moment, she noticed the unknown heart was leaving. Under normal circumstances, she might have confronted him or her. But right now, she was too mortified.

…

The next day, Kagome went back to what the group called the present. It sounded like another world, connected to this one by the Bone-Eater's Well. That other world sounded a lot like Japan from Aurora's world.

A few days later, Inuyasha followed her down the well.

Aurora stayed in the village near the well, helping out the people there. They were constantly attacked by Heartless, and while the Priestess was powerful, she was also very old. They welcomed Aurora's help.

Aurora caught her shield as it bounced off of the last Heartless, letting it reattach to her arm band, when suddenly, she sensed _them._

They were two hearts. Identical to Naraku's.

"No… we beat him!" she gasped.

"Child?" the priestess, Kaede, asked, turning to look at her.

"Stay here!" she called. _"Hastra!"_ Gold light appeared in the form of a clock face on her shield, before surrounding Aurora. In a burst of speed, she was rushing towards where she sensed the heart, a barren clearing in the forest. The closer she drew, the stronger the wind seemed, and the sky darkened with black and purple clouds.

However, it wasn't Naraku she found. It was a woman in a white and pink kimono, a yellow sash tied around her waist. Next to her, coming up only to her hip, was a young girl with white hair, holding two mirrors.

The older of the two narrowed her eyes.

"You are not Inuyasha," she said.

"Gee, way to state the obvious," Aurora said, activating her shield.

"A being not of this world," the little girl said in a soft voice.

"Hmph. Be gone from this place, and I might just let you live," the woman said. Aurora took a deep breath.

"Make me. I'm not letting you hurt my friend," she said.

"Fine then. _Dance of the Dragon!"_ the woman yelled, slashing her fan to the side. Raging tornadoes appeared, surging towards Aurora.

" _AEROGA!"_ Aurora yelled, summoning her own tornado. It was only one, but it was large, and it slammed into the woman's head on. Aurora pushed her own tornado forward, attempting to break down the woman's.

" _Dance of Blades!"_ Blue blades of light suddenly shot through the tornados, causing all of them to vanish, and right towards Aurora. The girl rolled to the side, out of the way, and threw her hand up, pointing at the woman.

" _Zero Graviga!"_ she called.

Before the spell could hit, the little girl moved in front of the woman. Her mirror seemed to absorb the spell, before it blasted back at Aurora. Unprepared for that, she felt her body lift into the air, outside of her control.

Then she sensed Inuyasha's heart.

"Inuyasha," the woman said, confirming Aurora's fear. "Here at last."

"Heh. You again, Kagura," Inuyasha growled, unsheathing his sword, just as the spell wore off, and Aurora dropped to the ground. She instantly jumped to her feet. "You're here to avenge Naraku's death, I assume?" he asked.

"Naraku?" the woman asked. "Ah, yes. How soon we forget those we detest. Well. He's out of my life now!" Kagura slashed her fan, and blades of blue light shot forth, forcing Aurora and Inuyasha to dodge to the side.

Inuyasha jumped into the air. "Then why the visit!?" he yelled, bringing Tessiga down, missing the woman by inches.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled. Aurora looked over to see her jump off her bike and come running.

" _Dance of Blades!"_ Kagura yelled. Aurora rolled underneath this attack and sprang up.

" _WATERGA!"_ she yelled. A large geyser of water shot up under the woman, throwing her into the air. She quickly got flipped over, righting herself in the air, and blocked Inuyasha's attacks, before landing once more.

" _Dance of the Dragon!"_ she yelled, and tornados erupted forward. Aurora cast _Aeroga_ on herself, encasing herself in a tornado, but wasn't fast enough to do the same for Inuyasha. He was thrown into the air, and Kagura cast Dance of Blades once more on him. His clothes ripped up, and completely cut off his left sleeve. Inuyasha hit the ground with a grunt.

"Inuyasha!" Aurora and Kagome yelled.

"Stay away!" Inuyasha replied, and both girls stopped.

Suddenly, the missing sleeve floated easily down on a breeze, landing in Kagura's outstretched hand.

"The cloth of the Fire Rat. Now I have it," she said, looking down at the little girl.

"What?" Inuyasha gasped.

The clouds dispersed, revealing the light of the full moon.

 _(Full moon? But that isn't right… it was just the new moon not even a week ago… unless this world's moon cycle is different?)_ Aurora wondered, but one glance at the expressions on Kagome and Inuyasha's faces told her this was abnormal. Even Kagura seemed a little unsettled. The only one unaffected was the little girl.

Out of nowhere, flower petals began to rain down on the group.

" _The white hot flames of my love for you,_

 _Cannot burn this cloth of fur._

 _My raiment sleeves dried up tears,_

 _Now on this day I dawn,"_ an echoing voice said as moonlight shined down on Kagura and the little girl. The girl's mirror flashed, and a pentagon star made of glowing purple lines appeared.

"What...?" Aurora muttered.

A woman of unearthly beauty appeared in the mirror, behind the purple lines, with a malicious laugh. But Aurora couldn't sense her.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Inuyasha growled.

"My name is Kaguya," the woman said. "I am the ruler of eternal night."

Aurora reeled back in shock as the woman's face became clear. Her eyes glowed yellow, like a Heartless's.

"Kaguya, is it?" Inuyasha growled. "Hah. What do you want with us?"

"Inuyasha! Aurora!" Kagome yelled.

"Stay back!" Aurora yelled. "She's dangerous!"

The woman laughed. "I can see your darkest desire, Inuyasha. Your deepest desire. Your true self, where your dark heart rules." Her image vanished, to show Inuyasha reflected in it. His eyes changed, the corneas turning red, the irises turning blue. Purple streaks adorned his cheeks. "Where you become a beast!" The reflected Inuyasha roared.

"Quit your jabbering and come on out of that mirror. _WIND SCAR!_ " he yelled, rushing forward.

"Inuyasha, wait!" Aurora cried. The woman in the mirror scared her, more so than the two she had just faced. Maybe even more so than Naraku. Her words fell on deaf ears.

Light erupted from the ground, shooting towards the two with the mirror. A barrier of blue light rose around them, protecting them from the attack.

"Huh? What?" Inuyasha gasped. The dust cleared, showing the trail. "Hah. Fine then. Guess I'll just have to stick it to you in the heart." He shot forward.

"That idiot!" Aurora growled, chasing after him.

" _Dance of the Dragon!"_ Kagura yelled, and tornados appeared again.

" _Backlash Wave!"_ Inuyasha yelled as he ran forward, slashing his sword upwards. Gold light erupted from the ground, but this time, it fused with the tornados, pushing them back towards the woman and the girl.

A chill suddenly raced down Aurora's spine. As she and Inuyasha watched, the tornadoes were sucked into a large black hole.

"What's that!?" Inuyasha gasped.

The hole grew, sparking lightning.

Aurora realized what was going to happen seconds before it did. "Get down!" she screamed, tackling Inuyasha to the ground.

Tornados, infused with gold light, shot out from the black hole, shooting in all directions. Aurora cast Reflega, but one of the whirlwinds slammed into the shield, shattering it, and throwing Aurora back. She landed hard on her back, the air knocked out of her lungs.

She distantly heard Kagura laugh. "Inuyasha! How pathetic you've become, requiring the protection of a mortal!"

Neither Inuyasha or Aurora could look up, though, as the wind ripped apart the world around them.

…

"Inuyasha? Aurora?" Kagome's calls distantly reached Aurora where she laid, buried under rubble. She realized she must have lost consciousness while the winds swept around her.

"Inuyasha!? Aurora!?" Kagome's calls were becoming more panicked. With a groan, Aurora pushed herself up.

"I'm here!" she croaked.

Then she heard pained grunts.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, running over to where the man laid. Aurora shook the rest of the rubble off of herself, and stumbled over to the man. Kagome's head snapped up. "Aurora? You're okay?"

"Yeah," Aurora coughed slightly, realizing she must have swallowed a little bit of dust. "Let's get him back to the village."

Working together, the two girls managed it.

…

A few days later, once Aurora and Inuyasha were better, those two, plus Kagome and Shippo left the village.

It was clear Inuyasha was angry. Aurora listened to him go back and forth with Shippo, who was riding in the basket of Kagome's bike, until suddenly, Inuyasha clocked the little boy on the head, and Kagome scolded him. Aurora couldn't help but smile at that, shaking her head.

"You sound like a mom," she muttered to Kagome, who sighed.

"I feel like one, too," she admitted, before both girls giggled.

Suddenly, they came to a bridge. Bandits, by the look of them, had one meek man surrounded. Aurora frowned slightly. Not only was this wrong, but one of their hearts felt… faintly familiar.

"Step aside, ladies," Inuyasha suddenly growled, pushing his way through the men. Kagome, Aurora, and Shippo stayed outside of the circle. Kagome gave a weak chuckle as the bandits protested Inuyasha's actions.

"How dare you pass by without bowing your head in respect!" one of the men yelled.

"That's not wise. Inuyasha's in a bad mood today," Shippo said matter-of-factly, like he wasn't just on the receiving end of the half-demon's wrath.

"Hah! Don't make me laugh! You want to see a bad mood? I'll give you a bad mood," one of the men growled at him.

"I'm serious, guys. Better apologize while you have the chance!" Shippo said.

"Too late," Inuyasha growled, before whirling into action.

Minutes later, the bandits were laying, out cold, in the river that the bridge crossed, while Inuyasha was dusting his hands off.

Suddenly, the man they had been pushing around walked up to Inuyasha. "Thank you for coming to my rescue," he said with a bow. He then turned to Kagome and Aurora, and bowed to them as well. "I am truly in your debt."

"Huh? It's Hojo!" Kagome gasped. Meanwhile, Aurora was studying the man, a meek person with brown hair and a blue kimono. Slung over his back was a green bag.

 _(I swear, I've sensed his heart somewhere before…)_ Aurora thought. It was bugging her now.

"Huh? Hojo is my name," the man said, sounding surprised. "Akitoki Hojo."

Kagome stared at him like she was seeing a ghost.

"Hm… here's a small token of my appreciation," Hojo said, pulling the bag from his back. From it, he pulled out a decent pile of oranges, handing one each to Shippo, Kagome, and Aurora.

"Thank you," the girls said.

"It's quite tasty, and good for you," the man said with a grin. He then turned to Inuyasha, and began to walk forward to hand him one… when he tripped.

The oranges and his bag went flying as he face-planted on the bridge. Shaking her head, Aurora walked over to help him gather his stuff.

Inside the bag, along with a few other things, was a silk, translucent material. "Wow… this is amazing," Aurora said, brushing the tips of her fingers over it. "What is it?" she asked.

"Oh! Uh, it's our precious family heirloom," Hojo said, practically snatching it from under her hand.

"Oh… what do you mean, 'heirloom'?" Aurora asked, watching as he quickly rolled his pack back up, forgetting about the oranges (most of which fell into the river anyway).

"It's the Hojo family heirloom. The celestial robe," Hojo explained, standing and tying the pack back onto his back.

"'Celestial robe'?" Kagome asked, coming over. "As in the famous one?"

"Exactly. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm in a hurry. Farewell, and thanks again!" Hojo said, bowing to the girls once more, before turning to walk away.

Halfway across the bridge, he tripped again.

"What an idiot. He'll never survive in these times," Shippo said.

…

Unable to chance the poor man being killed while traveling alone, the girls managed to convince Inuyasha to let Hojo travel with them. After a while longer of walking, they group decided to sit under a shady tree to have lunch, which consisted of Instant Raman that Kagome pulled from her bag. Apparently, they were Inuyasha's favorite.

 _(Nick had a huge stash of these for me and Trucy, for nights when he didn't have enough money to eat out. It's funny, how certain things like this can appear on different worlds. It even tastes and looks the same!)_ Aurora thought in bemusement as she ate.

"Think there will be another full moon tonight?" Shippo suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, well, works just fine for me," Inuyasha said, his mouth full of noodles. Aurora smiled slightly at that, remembering his human, powerless side, which came out on the night of the new moon.

"I'm sure," Aurora said with a chuckle as the half-demon slurped the broth in his bowl. Hojo, meanwhile, was blowing on his noodles carefully before eating them.

"Spectacular! I've never tasted anything so delicious!" he cheered. Aurora coughed slightly, covering up her laughter.

"So, tell me, Hojo. Which way are you headed?" Kagome suddenly asked.

"I cannot reveal that to a stranger such as you," the man said solemnly, his eyes closed. Kagome reached over and took his Cup-of-Noodles.

"Huh?" he gasped, looking from his suddenly empty hand, to the woman, then closing his eyes again. "I'm on my way to Mt. Fuji to throw the robe into the crater."

"The robe? You mean the celestial one? Your family heirloom?" Aurora asked in shock. "Why would you do something like that?"

Hojo cleared his throat. "The Robe was entrusted to the Hojo family generations ago," he said. "It previously belonged to an immortal celestial being. Since then, we have cherished it as a family treasure, until one day, a very high ranking monk came to us with this warning: 'when the full moon shines, for many, many nights, and shadows grow a will of their own, throw the robe into the mouth of the Mt. Fuji crater.'"

Aurora jerked up. _('Shadows grow a will of their own'? Heartless? But what would Heartless have to do with this robe?)_ she wondered.

"Otherwise, great calamity will fall upon the land. And these past several nights, the moon has been full. And even before that, shadows have swarmed the land, attacking and destroying people. The Monk's predictions have come true. The robe must be destroyed as soon as possible."

Inuyasha scoffed. "What a story," he said, breaking the heavy atmosphere that had descended on the group. " _If_ what the monk said is actually true, what kind of calamity is supposed to happen?"

"I… don't really know," Hojo admitted. Kagome smiled and handed him his food back, which he took gleefully. Aurora, on the other hand, had an answer.

"This world could fall to darkness," she said. The entire group froze, turning to look at her. She was staring at her food, her appetite gone. "I don't know what the moon and the robe have to do with this, but… those shadows are Heartless. Beings of darkness who swallow hearts." Aurora closed her eyes for a moment, before they snapped open again. "Hojo, may I see the robe again?"

"Huh? No, I'm sorry, but I—hey!" he cut off with a whine as Aurora snatched the Cup-of-Noodles from him once more. "Fine," he huffed, opening his pack and pulling the light pink material from it. Aurora traded him his lunch for the robe, and focused on the material.

She could sense a faint power coming from it… but it was nothing like what she had sensed the two times she was in the presence of a world's Keyhole, the path that leads to the heart of a world.

 _(Sora mentioned that, in some worlds, an object will reveal the Keyhole. Like, in Atlantica, it was the King's Trident, or a Trident shaped crystal. This robe… it's not the Keyhole, but maybe it reveals the Keyhole? Or, at the very least, it's one of the objects that does…)_ she thought. _(Which would explain why the Monk said to destroy it if Shadows gain a will of their own. So then, what does the moon have to do with all of this?)_ she wondered, folding the robe and placing it in Hojo's lap.

"Hm… I don't know about the shadows… these Heartless… but the moon, and the celestial robe! It's the story of Princess Kaguya!" Kagome suddenly said. "Under the light of the full moon, celestial maidens came for her and dressed her in her robe…"

"Did you say Kaguya!?" Inuyasha demanded, his hand tightening around the scabbard of his sword. Aurora had also frozen, her mind going into overdrive, trying to connect all of these pieces of information. Kaguya had been the woman in the mirror who had attacked them by reversing Inuyasha's backlash wave.

 _(What if she's Heartless? Like Naraku had been. Her eyes had certainly looked it. If she gets the robe, and knows of the location of the Keyhole… well. That would be the disaster the Monk had warned the Hojo family of…)_ Aurora thought grimly.

…

The group traveled through the rest of the day. While the others talked, Aurora was silent, deep in thought.

 _(I'm no Keyblade Wielder. Maybe I could find the source of Heartless, like I was trying to do in Remnant, but locking a Keyhole? I'm powerless when it comes to that. I hate to have to trust Hojo not to screw this up, but…)_ she glanced up at the man in blue, who tripped over a rock, and stumbled. _(Oh God, we're doomed.)_

As it grew dark, they decided to camp under a dead tree, on the slope of the bank of a sluggish moving river. Inuyasha and Kagome sat close to the fire, which was on the flat ground right next to the water, Inuyasha tending to it and Kagome searching one of her books, while Aurora, Hojo, and Shippo sat against the trunk. Hojo was already laying down, tired from the day's journey, while Aurora sat with her back against the trunk, watching the stars through the dead branches. Shippo was watching the couple by the flames.

"They make a nice cozy two-some, huh?" Shippo asked as Hojo sat up. Aurora looked down at the two, and smiled slightly.

"They do. You know, when they're not yelling at each other," she said, to which Shippo giggled.

Hojo, on the other hand, sighed. "Alas, unrequited love."

"What's your problem?" Shippo asked. "Are you in love with Kagome?"

"When I first glimpsed Miss. Kagome through the steamy-mist, I thought she was a celestial being form the heaven."

" _What!?"_ Aurora growled, before something inside her clicked. She grabbed the front of Hojo's Kimono. "I knew your heart was familiar. That _was_ you! Not Inuyasha and Miroku!" she snarled. Hojo's eyes widened in horror, while Shippo smirked evilly.

"Ah! I get it. _You_ were the spying pervert," he said.

"P-please let me go, Miss. Aurora! I promise it was-!" his head whirled to Shippo. "Hush hush hush! Don't ever say that out loud!" he begged. Aurora snorted in disgust, her cheeks red, dropped the man, and stalked away, sitting on the other side of the wide tree.

 _(Ugh! Of all the-! I can't even… I'm not going to be able to look him in the eye now! Ugh! I feel so dirty!)_ she thought. _(How dare he even act like nothing-)_ Her thoughts cut off as an unnatural light filled the area, and cherry blossom petals rained down from the dead branches above.

"What is this?" she asked herself softly, standing. She looked up, and gasped. The once dead branches were now full with cherry blossoms.

"Guys? You know what's going on?" Aurora called, stepping around the tree.

That's when she sensed it. It was different from sensing a heart, or even sensing someone like Naraku. The only time she ever sensed something like this was when she faced a very large, very powerful heartless.

It was a deep, dark black hole. And this was the deepest, darkest she had ever sensed.

She immediately activated her shield. Inuyasha's ears flicked in her direction, and he unsheathed his sword. Floating over the water, the mirror the little girl had held appeared.

"' _The time has now come._

 _Behold the robe from heaven to drape upon my shoulders,_

 _For you, it is but a deep sadness that I feel.'"_

A woman appeared, standing on the water and holding the mirror.

"Thanks for saving me the trouble of hunting you down," Inuyasha said with a smirk, readying his sword. Aurora skidded down the hill to stand next to him.

"Careful, Inuyasha. She's powerful," Aurora warned.

"Hmph. So am I."

"Not the three of you again," the woman said, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she studied Inuyasha, Kagome, and Aurora. "What poor luck I have to come across such fools. Where is the celestial robe?"

Hojo gasped, his arms tightening around his bundle.

"What?" Kagome muttered.

"There it is!" the woman gasped, her eyes locking on the unlucky man.

"Hojo! RUN!" Aurora screamed, before launching herself forward, casting a _Watera_ spell, which let her run across the surface of the river. The woman raised her hand, holding it in a fashion similar to the Fey Spirit Mediums, and began chanting a spell in a different language. Her mirror flashed, and the water that was assisting Aurora suddenly wrapped around her legs, sucking her under.

Aurora clamped her mouth shut, fighting against the water that held her under. Light flashed above her, moving towards the shadow that marked Kaguya's position, and the water's hold on her weakened.

(AEROGA!) Aurora thought frantically. A large tornado erupted around her, turning the water into a whirlpool that surrounded her, pushing her back to the surface. She coughed slightly, gasping for air.

"Aurora!" Kagome yelled. Aurora, still catching her breath, swam back to the shore, letting the girl pull her out of the river.

"You won't interfere!" the woman said. Purple light whipped from her mirror. Aurora and Kagome ducked under it, but Inuyasha was hit. He slammed into the trunk of the tree, and vines trapped him there.

"Inuyasha!" the girls called, looking back at him. Aurora then turned and glared at Kaguya. The woman looked at her.

"Nor will you." Water rushed up in a wave. Aurora pushed Kagome away, only to be slammed by the wave, and dragged back into the water. Thankfully, her head stayed above the surface, but the suddenly fast moving current trapped her against one of the rocks. Whenever she tried to focus to use a spell to counter the current, the water would swell, slamming her in the face. She distantly heard Kagome and Shippo yelling her name, but it took all of her strength and concentration to cling to the rock and stay above water.

Kaguya then turned back to where Inuyasha was pinned. "Hmm. I was wondering why you were so weak," she said, her mirror facing the man. "Now I see. You're merely a half demon."

"That a problem for ya!?" Inuyasha demanded. The vines electrocuted him, and his cried out in pain.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, running over to help him, only to get thrown back by the power holding him against the tree. Hojo and Shippo ran over, trying to help those two and Aurora, when Hojo tripped, his pack falling off his back. It opened slightly to reveal the celestial robe.

"Yes! There it is! The Celestial Robe for which I searched," Kaguya said. Hojo scrambled to his feet and grabbed his pack, while Kaguya began her chant once more. Aurora, who had just started to pull herself up onto the rock, saw this.

"Hojo! Move! _Wat-!"_ Her spell cut off as she slipped back off the rock, pinned against it again, but it still had the desired effect. A stream of water shot from the surface of the river, splashing Kaguya in the back and distracting her. She turned, ready to finish the Seer off.

"Kaguya!" Kagome yelled, catching the woman's attention once more.

"Such impotence," she muttered, lifting her hand to deal with Kagome instead. Kagome let her arrow fly, and it pierced the woman's sleeve, shredding it, and surprising her.

"A sacred arrow?" the moon princess muttered. "Interesting," she smirked. Kagome ran over to stand next to where Inuyasha was trapped, drawing her bow once more.

"Release Inuyasha and Aurora now!" she demanded.

"Get out of here, Kagome!" Inuyasha gasped, still struggling.

"Hah. Just go ahead and try it," Kaguya said.

"It's your funeral," Kagome snapped, her arrow taking on a blue light. She let it fly.

Kaguya stayed directly in its path, chanting once more. Her mirror glowed, and the arrow flew right into it, disappearing.

Aurora, who had just managed to finally climb fully onto the rock she had been pinned against, gasped.

Kaguya's mirror shook for a moment, and the arrow shot back out of it, headed straight for Inuyasha's heart.

"Inuyasha!" Aurora screamed. She raised her hand to attempt a _Reflect_ spell, but nearly slid back off the rock.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed, dropping her bow. Time seemed to slow down.

"Kagome!" Shippo yelled in horror as the girl threw herself into the path of the arrow.

"Watch out!" Hojo yelled, throwing his pack. It unraveled, the green material separating from the silky material of the celestial robe.

The arrow struck the robe, then hit home, landing directly in Kagome's back.

She gasped, grasping at Inuyasha.

"No!" Aurora cried.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha gasped. Hojo sat heavily, his eyes wide, while Shippo cried. "KAGOME!" Inuyasha screamed.

Kagome lifted her head, and smiled sadly at Inuyasha. "I'm so thankful… that you're alright… Inuyasha…" she said weakly.

"Why did you do that!? Why didn't you stay away!?" Inuyasha cried.

"It's no big deal… and besides… you're always saving me… aren't you?" She closed her eyes, sliding down to the ground.

"No… No! Kagome! _Curaga! Curaga!"_ Aurora yelled, holding her hand out towards the girl. Kagome glowed green, but didn't change. Aurora lost her balance and slid off the rock, once again pinned to it by the current.

Inuyasha struggled against his own binds, calling the girl's name over and over again, trying to get her to answer. He then looked up at Kaguya, who floated closer.

"Damn… let me go, you creepy witch!" he growled. "If Kagome dies, you're going to regret the day you ever met me!"

"Rest assured. I will not let her die so easily," Kaguya said, her eyes riveted to the injured girl. She then looked up at Inuyasha. "Now. Will you become my servant? Do so, and I shall grant your wish."

Aurora couldn't see the mirror, as it was facing Inuyasha, but she felt the darkness in his heart pulse, almost like it was attempting to overtake the light.

"You go to hell! Release me! That's all I want from you!" Inuyasha snarled, and the balance in his heart returned to its normal state.

"Then I'm taking the girl with me," Kaguya said, and Kagome's prone body lifted into the air, floating next to Kaguya. The two began to fly away.

"No! Put her down! Where are you taking her!?" Inuyasha yelled.

"Come to my dream castle. That is, if you so desire," Kaguya said, vanishing into thin air, alongside Kagome.

"No!" Aurora gasped.

Inuyasha struggled, growling threats after her.

Suddenly, the cherry blossoms in the dead tree disappeared. The fast moving river returned to its sluggish nature, allowing Aurora to swim to shore and stagger onto dry land, and Inuyasha was able to break free of his own binds.

"Dammit!" Inuyasha growled, stepping into the water that had just recently held Aurora captive. He was glaring at the moon. "Aurora! Where's this 'dream castle' of hers?" he demanded. Aurora look up from where she had fallen to her hands and knees.

"How would I know?" she demanded, exhaustion evident in her voice. Fighting against the fast moving current had sapped all of her energy.

"Wait," Hojo suddenly said. "There's a saying a priest once told my family. Perhaps that can help us find the castle," he said. "The castle of the heavenly being lies in the lake of Motosu, unreachable by mortals."

…

After downing an elixir or two, Aurora went with Inuyasha, Hojo, and Shippo to Lake Motosu. Aurora was using Kagome's bike (being the only one in the group who knew how), while Shippo rode in the basket, and Hojo was on Inuyasha's back.

They slowed only for a moment when they got near, and a pentagon made of purple light appeared in the sky.

"There's a glow beyond the forest!" Shippo said, pointing to the sky. Aurora shivered.

"And a great darkness as well," she said, once again sensing that black hole.

"Are we going, Inuyasha?" Shippo asked.

"I don't know about you three, but shouldn't we avoid danger?" Hojo asked. Inuyasha made an impatient noise.

"If that's how you feel, then I'll just drop you here, and you can stay out of the way, okay?" he growled, doing just that. Hojo landed hard on his butt.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo called after the half-demon as he shot off. "Akitoki! Aurora! This is bad! Real bad! If demons or Heartless attack us now, we'll be done for!" the little boy cried.

"Argh! Fine. Hojo, sit," Aurora said, standing over the bike. Hojo did as she said, and Aurora power pedaled after Inuyasha, standing as she did so. Now that she knew Hojo was a perv, she didn't quite feel comfortable with her butt in his face, but she also couldn't let the man die, either.

As they grew closer, Aurora began to sense other hearts as well. Three she recognized as Sango, Miroku, and Kirara, Sango's pet cat-demon, but there were two (or three?) unfamiliar ones as well.

The sound of explosions, and flashes of purple light, suddenly reached the group.

"Are you sure we should be going this way?" Hojo cried, his grip tightening around Aurora's waist.

"We don't have another choice!" Aurora yelled back, despite the second black hole she was sensing. _(Another powerful Heartless?)_ she wondered to herself.

They reached the edge of the lake, just in time to see someone falling from the sky.

"Sango!" Shippo yelled, shooting out of the bike's basket and transforming into a pink bubble like thing. He easily caught them.

"Stay here," Aurora commanded to Hojo, jumping off the bike. " _Waterga!"_ she cried. A current formed on the surface of the lake, which Aurora rode like a skateboard. Whenever a dark shadow would appear under her, she'd direct it elsewhere, avoiding the balls of dark fire that was being shot from below the surface.

Inuyasha wasn't far behind. He jumped from the trees, crying Kagome's name.

And that's when Aurora felt it. Inuyasha's heart connected to Kagome's, just as her own did with Riku's, whenever those two were around each other. And from Inuyasha's yell, she could tell the two were communicating with each other.

Inuyasha was running so fast that he didn't need a spell to not sink into the water.

Unfortunately, the creature that had been attacking from underwater surged upward, right in front of the half-demon. He managed to jump out of the way, but it wasn't just one thing. It was many, all surging upward around him. Aurora manipulated her spell so that she was surfing towards him, ready to help him face whatever was attacking.

As the water cleared, the beasts became visible. There were serpent-shaped, black with red lines streaking through their bodies. On each forehead was the Heartless symbol, and their glowing yellow eyes glared angrily at Aurora and Inuyasha.

"No…" Aurora heart plummeted, fear racing through her body. _(How are we supposed to beat so many!?)_ she thought in horror.

Inuyasha landed on a rock, watching the creatures, until one surged towards him. He leapt into the air over it, only to narrowly avoid an attack from another one.

Aurora, meanwhile, surfed her spell-induced current, circling the creatures. She dodged a few shots of dark fire, then drove in close, cloaking her shield in a _Firaga_ spell. She shaped it into a blade, and slashed at the necks of the beasts, but hardly seemed to do any damage. At the most, it was like she was only an annoyance. A mosquito.

Inuyasha somehow managed to dodge the things attacks from midair, and landed in the water close to where Aurora was.

" _Watera!"_ she called, quickly bringing him to the surface. "Any bright ideas!?" she called.

"Yeah! We kill it!" Inuyasha yelled back, unsheathing his sword. "Can you keep me on the surface?"

"Yeah. _Blizzaga!"_ she yelled. A path of ice appeared on the surface of the water, leading directly to the monster. Inuyasha ran along it, until he was in range.

" _WIND SCAR!"_ he yelled, launching himself into the air and unleashing the attack. The full brunt of it struck one of the Heartless Serpents, and it began to collapse, fading into purple smoke.

Aurora's eyes widened when she realized something. _(It didn't release a heart! These things aren't separate Heartless… they're all one BIG Heartless!_ )

"Argh! This is going to take too long!" Inuyasha snarled as he landed beside Aurora.

"We have to find the core. They're all one big beast. Like a hydra or something!" Aurora said.

"Huh. You don't say," Inuyasha said with a smirk, studying the beasts himself. "Alright then. I'll use my Backlash Wave and get them in one blow," he said. Before he could use the attack, however, the beasts started shooting Dark Fire balls at them from all directions. Inuyasha grabbed Aurora, slinging her onto his back, and took off, dodging. He growled in annoyance. "I can't use my Backlash Wave when they're come at us from all over the place!" he snarled.

"Then I'll make an opening," Aurora said. _"REFLEGA!"_ she yelled. A barrier appeared around them, and two of the Dark Fire balls ricochet off. Aurora closed her eyes for a moment, focusing, then held her hand up. " _QUAKE!"_ she yelled. The ground rumbled, before shaking violently. The water heaved, creating huge waves. Aurora kept the two of them safe by using her _Reflect_ spells as the Heartless fought against the Tsunami like waves caused by the Earthquake spell.

As the water heaved back and forth, a large, black and red crystal that was attached to the bottom of the lake became visible. Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"There's the core!" he said, pointing to it.

"Right! We need to destroy that!" Aurora said.

"Say no more. _BACKLASH WAVE!"_ he yelled.

" _THUNDAGA!"_ Aurora yelled, adding her power to it. The two attacks fused together, and slammed into the large crystal. The Heartless froze, the crystal exploding, before all of them faded into black smoke and a large crystal heart floated from it, disappearing into the sky.

"Alright. One obstacle down. Let's go," Inuyasha said, crouching slightly.

"Right," Aurora said, gripping the shoulders of his kimono. He took off across the surface of the lake towards the mountain the castle stood on. Before Aurora could realize what he was about to do, he began jumping up it, scaling the mountain almost like a goat.

"Whoa!" Aurora gasped, gripping Inuyasha's shirt tighter. He glanced back at her.

"What?" he growled.

"N-nothing. I just… don't get along with heights," she said, forcing herself not to look down.

"Hmph. Whatever," he said, continuing to lunge upwards. He finally reached the tallest spear, and crouched, studying the castle. Aurora looked at it as well, and shivered.

"I think we're being watched," she muttered. Inuyasha's ears flicked.

"I know we are. But no matter. She can't stop me," he said. He lunged forward once more, landing on the steps leading to the front door of the castle, and shot down the hall.

"They're just ahead!" Aurora said, sensing Kagome's light, and Kaguya's black hole.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha hollered as he turned the corner into a room, and saw them. Kaguya stood at the head of the room, with Kagome hanging from a pentagon of purple light. To Aurora, it almost looked like she was being crucified. Inuyasha dropped Aurora and surged forward with a yell, raising his sword.

Aurora, on the other hand, turned to look at Kaguya. Gone was the royal purple kimono. Her eyes glowed yellow, and she wore a black and red skirt. Her top showed off her stomach and collar bone, and was shaped into the Heartless emblem. Completing the look was a black and red cape, and four red hair ornaments shaped like spikes.

The Celestial Robe swirled around her, and Aurora could feel an aura of magic building around her.

"Now, you beings who exist in the realm of time, vanish into the void of illusion," she said.

"Guys! Stay away!" Kagome yelled. The half-demon ignored her, continuing his charge.

"Power of the mirror of stillness!" Kaguya said.

"Inuyasha!" Aurora yelled. She shot forward, using a _Haste_ spell, and got in between him and the purple light that glowed from the woman. _"REFLEGA!"_ she yelled. Both her and Inuyasha were surrounded by a crystal barrier…

…but it was no use. The woman's magic washed over the two of them like a wave.

" _INUYASHA!"_ the two distantly heard Kagome scream, almost as though from under water.

When the light faded, the two of them laid flat on the ground. Pain racked Aurora's body, and she heard Inuyasha grunt from next to her.

"Ugh… _Cure…"_ Aurora muttered. Green light flowed over the two of them, easing the pain slightly, and they climbed to their feet.

"It's not over yet," Inuyasha growled, grasping his sword.

"Inuyasha! Aurora!" Kagome gasped in surprise. Kaguya gasped as well, her eyes widening to stare at the two.

"Why are you still able to move?" she demanded.

"Your magic might be strong, but mine's stronger," Aurora said, though she wasn't talking about her _Reflect_ spell. Sora had described something like this before – a curse that was specific to a world he, Donald, and Goofy visited was put on them and their friend from that world, but only that friend had been effected. Aurora figured it was the same thing here. As for why it hadn't effected Inuyasha…

"That's the least of your worries," the boy growled. Aurora glanced over, and saw something glowing at his collar bone. Looking closer, Aurora realized it was a gold, heart shaped locket. Kagome saw it too, and she seemed to gasp in surprise, before blushing with a small frown.

 _(She must have given it to him, and he must have made a fuss about it…)_ Aurora thought with a small smile, before turning once again to Kaguya.

Inuyasha's sword began to glow red. "Look out, witch. Time for a little _pay back!"_ he yelled, slashing it forward.

" _Firaga!"_ Aurora yelled, and fire surged from her pointed left hand, adding to Inuyasha's attack. Both attacks surged towards the woman, who simply smirked as the attacks disappeared.

"What!?" Inuyasha gasped.

"What's going on?" Aurora asked. The scene in front of the grew blurry, like someone was pouring water onto a painting – including Kaguya and Kagome. Kaguya's laugh, and Kagome's cries of their names was clear enough, until suddenly, the room was gone, and the two of them were standing outside, on the solid surface of a lake.

"It was an illusion. But a very real one," Aurora gasped, surprised.

"Damn," Inuyasha growled as the two of them looked around.

"Inuyasha! Aurora!" Shippo suddenly called from above. Sango, riding on Kirara's back, landed in front of them, a young boy sitting behind her.

"You two are alright," Sango said, sounding relieved. Aurora's eyes widened as she studied them. All three had a bandage in some shape or form on them – including Kirara's ear. And all of the bandages were… glowing slightly? She glanced back at Inuyasha, thinking about the locket around his neck.

 _(Did the stuff from Kagome's world—slash—time protect them?)_ Aurora wondered.

Sango and the boy hopped off Kirara's back, walking over to the two of them. "Where's Kagome?" the demon huntress asked.

"Still at the castle. We need to go back," Aurora said while Inuyasha growled. Just then, Shippo, in his pink bubble form, landed, and Miroku slid off his back as the young fox demon transformed back to his normal appearance.

"Where did the castle disappear to?" Miroku demanded.

"Hmph. Take a look," Inuyasha said, looking down. The rest of the group did as well, and Aurora gasped.

"It's under the surface!" she exclaimed.

Sango suddenly seemed to notice the state of Inuyasha's kimono. "What happened to your sleeve?" she asked. "I've never seen you dress like a slob before…"

Inuyasha growled, his ears flattening slightly, before he suddenly turned, his fist slamming into the top of Miroku's head.

"Agh! Why take it out on me!?" the monk demanded, holding that spot. Sango bit her lip slightly, looking away.

"Huh. Well why not?" came the reply, before the half demon stepped forward, in front of the group, and raised the Tessaiga. The blade glowed red, and he slammed it down onto the solid surface of the lake.

A glowing, purple white portal opened up on the surface.

"I guess this is the way forward," Aurora said.

"Hmph." The young boy at Sango's side suddenly stepped forward, jumping into the portal.

"Kohaku?" Sango called after him, before following.

 _(Ah! He's her brother! I'm glad they found each other…)_ Aurora thought with a sad smile.

"Let's go!" Inuyasha said, following those two. Aurora jumped in right after him, with the others following behind.

They landed in a silent, open air corridor. Outside was shrouded in a dark mist, with only the full, red moon visible. The group ran forward, making their way to the large chamber where Kaguya was holding Kagome prisoner.

They got there, just in time to see Kaguya in front of Kagome. Inuyasha let out a demonic growl.

"Kaguya!" he yelled, lunging forward.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome sounded relieved. The moon princess, on the other hand, turned to face Inuyasha, pulling one of the ornaments from her hair. It grew into a sword, and she raised it just in time to block the half-demon's attack. She managed to shove him backwards.

"You guys! Your all okay!" Kagome said with a bright smile.

"We are! Thanks to your medical supplies," Sango replied. Inuyasha lunged forward once more, but Kaguya simply smirked, meeting his sword once more with her own.

"Half-Demon. Are you prepared to become my servant yet?" she asked.

"Don't count on it!" Inuyasha growled, pushing her back and swinging once more. Kaguya simply caught his blade in her hand, which was glowing slightly. Aurora rushed forward.

" _Waterga!"_ she yelled, and a large geyser of water shot from the ground next to Inuyasha, headed right for the woman. Her mirror, which was floating by itself, shot in between Kaguya and the spell, catching the water, and reflecting it back at Aurora, throwing her back. Kaguya, meanwhile, focused on Inuyasha, holding his sword and slashing at him.

He managed to dodge the attacks, but she yanked the sword from his grasp and threw it backwards, where it stuck in the wall, transforming into an old, rusty katana.

"My sword!" Inuyasha gasped, diving away from the woman.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her!" Miroku said, pulling two pieces of paper from inside his robe. Aurora recognized them as sacred sutras. She had seen a few at both Fey Manor and Nine-Tale Vale. "Justice be done!" he threw them at the woman, and Sango followed up by throwing her large boomerang.

Kaguya slashed through the seals, and easily blocked the boomerang. The group rushed forward.

Aurora pushed herself from the ground with a groan and scowled at the woman. " _AEROGA!"_ she yelled. A large tornado shot from her shield, but the mirror once again intercepted it, shooting it back. " _REFLEGA!"_ The tornado hit her shield, and flew back towards the mirror. _(Reflect should make the spell more powerful each time… Maybe, if the spell is powerful enough, I can break it…)_ she thought.

The boomerang became surrounded with blue fire, and shot towards the three rushing the woman. It slammed into Sango and Kohaku, throwing them back.

" _IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!"_ Inuyasha yelled, his claws glowing. Before he could hit the woman, she pointed her hand towards him. One of the purple vines wrapped around it uncurled and shot forward, impaling Inuyasha in the center of his chest.

"Inuyasha!" Aurora called, momentarily distracted. The overwhelmingly powerful tornado slammed into her, and she was thrown into one of the pillars, momentarily blacking out.

When she came to, the woman was standing in the center of the raised part of the room, looking at Inuyasha. "Take a good look, Inuyasha," she said to the half-demon, who was on his knees. The mirror was floating in front of her. "The hole – the dark spirit that lurks in your heart." The image in the mirror was of Inuyasha, but that version had red eyes, purple markings on his face, and longer, sharper fangs.

"Hah. What are you rambling on about!?" Inuyasha demanded, staggering to his feet, clutching at the hole in his chest.

"This is the true form you desire to achieve. And I am going to grant your wish." She began to chant.

The image in the mirror pulsed, and Aurora gasped, shuddering at the blast of coldness that came from it.

It was pure darkness.

Almost instantly, the darkness in Inuyasha's heart pulsed as well. Aurora quickly turned to look at him, shocked to see the blank look in his eyes.

As Kaguya chanted, the darkness in both the mirror, and Inuyasha's heart, grew. He leaned forward, growling and groaning in discomfort, while Kagome called out to him, fearing what was happening.

Then, suddenly, the darkness from the mirror faded, replaced by a small, smoldering warmth. Aurora turned her senses to Inuyasha, and her horror grew. The light in his heart was being drawn out of him, and into the mirror.

"Argh!" Inuyasha's head snapped up. He had purple markings on his face, just like the image in the mirror, and his eyes were completely white.

"Inuyasha's transforming into a full demon!" Shippo gasped from where he hid behind a downed Miroku.

"Yes, I see this, but somehow it's different from before!" the monk said.

"No! Don't! Don't transform!" Kagome cried, struggling against her binds.

The mirror pulsed once more, the light from it growing stronger. Aurora looked at it, and gasped. As Inuyasha grew more demonic and wild, the mirror image was growing calmer. More… human.

"She's… she's damaging his heart…" Aurora breathed, putting a hand to her own chest.

Kaguya laughed. "This is your true nature, Inuyasha," the woman said. "Be the full demon you've longed to become. Seal your human heart in this mirror, and be true to your wishes!"

A purple glow from the corner of Aurora's eye caught her attention. Glancing down, she saw it was coming from her bag. From the Star Shard.

"NO!" She yelled, snatching it from her bag and throwing it. _(Not this time! I might have failed Harry, the Restoration Committee, Ruby and the team… and Yui. But not again. Never again. They need me!)_ she thought. In a flash of purple light, the Shard shot into the air, through the ceiling, and was gone.

She then turned back to the others and surged forward, moving so that she was in front of Inuyasha. "Stop, Inuyasha! You can fight this!" she said, placing a hand over the man's heart. Her eyes widened slightly and grew blank. Inuyasha stopped struggling.

"Wh-what's happening?" Kagome gasped.

"I-I don't know," Miroku said. A gold light began to glow around Aurora, before spreading to surround Inuyasha as well. The markings on his face began to fade. The image in the mirror began to grow wild again.

Kaguya's eyes grew wide. "A Healer? I thought they were all extinct," she muttered, before frowning deeply. "No matter. She will not interfere." One of the purple vines shot forward.

"Aurora!" Kagome yelled. But it was no use. Aurora didn't seem to hear her. The vine slammed into her from the side, throwing her into a pillar, and spreading to pin her there. Aurora gasped slightly, her eyes becoming bright again, and she blinked, seeming dazed.

"We need to stop the transformation," Miroku said. "If he becomes a full demon… it's all over for him."

"If we break that mirror, that should stop the transformation!" Sango said, grabbing her boomerang and surging forward. More vines slammed into her and Kohaku, pinning them to a different pillar. Kirara tried to free them, but met the same fate.

Shippo seemed to disappear, while Miroku tried his own luck, only to get slammed aside, by Inuyasha himself.

"Excellent. Only by releasing the power of darkness can one realize true freedom," Kaguya said.

"You… you're wrong," Aurora snarled.

"Hm?" Kaguya glanced over at her.

"Darkness doesn't set _anyone_ free. It traps them. Ensnares them. It forces them to act against their will, unless they either immune or truly too powerful to be effected by it," Aurora said, struggling against her binds. She then turned to Kagome.

"Kagome. You're the only one who can get through to Inuyasha now. Your hearts are connected in a very rare, and very special way. You _must_ call out to his heart, to the light side of it, before it's too late!"

"Hah. She might have to powers of a priestess, but she is powerless when it comes to matters such as this. You, on the other hand…" Kaguya walked over to where Aurora was trapped, and smirked, grabbing her chin and studying her. "Perhaps if I eat you, not only will I gain the powers of a Healer, but I'll also be able to travel to other worlds…" she said softly, loud enough only for Aurora to hear. Aurora's eyes widened, and she tried to pull her chin from the woman's grasp, but with no luck. Kaguya smirked, and Aurora could see the sharp teeth she had.

As she talked, Inuyasha changed, becoming more and more demonic, while the mirror version became more human.

"Inuyasha, don't do it! Please stop!" Kagome yelled, her voice breaking.

Kaguya smirked, letting go of Aurora's face, and turning. There was a flash, and a surge of power from where Kagome was held captive, and suddenly, she was free.

"Inuyasha!" she cried, running over, and hugging the man, pressing her face against his chest. "I'm begging you, please don't change!"

Inuyasha grasped her arms, burying his claws into her arms, and she gasped in pain. Kaguya smirked.

"Try what you will. Your efforts are in vain. The human heart he possessed is locked inside the mirror. He'll never be a half-demon again.

The human Inuyasha, in the mirror, opened his eyes, just as the light from it pulsed once more.

Kagome tightened her grip on him. "I love you as a half-demon, Inuyasha!" she cried.

Inuyasha gasped, his wild movements growing still. The purple markings on his face began to fade once more.

Kaguya scowled and began to chant, causing Inuyasha to yell out, struggling once more. Kagome looked up at him for a moment, before pulling herself up onto her toes… and kissing him.

As soon as her lips touched his, he froze, growing quiet.

"Free the beast of carnage that lives inside you. And once you are a full demon, bring me the flesh of that girl!" Kaguya commanded. Aurora smirked.

"You're beginning to sound worried," she said. Kaguya threw her a dirty look, before returning her glare to Inuyasha and Kagome.

Inuyasha's eyes returned to their normal color, the markings vanishing fully. He withdrew his claws from her arms as they returned to normal size, tipped with Kagome's blood.

The reflected version of Inuyasha closed his eyes, and the mirror cracked.

"Wha? What's happening?" Kaguya gasped.

Inuyasha closed his own eyes, and kissed Kagome back, just as red light began to shower down around them.

A moment later, the two pulled apart, and Inuyasha wrapped his arms tightly around the girl, holding her close.

Aurora smiled at that, looking down, her thoughts on Riku, as they always were when she saw some kind of romantic interaction.

"You fool," Kaguya snarled. "How could you abandon such a fine opportunity?"

The vines receded from around the Aurora, Sango, Kohaku, and Kirara, freeing them. Aurora quickly moved over to the others, where Sango was hugging an unconscious Kohaku.

"You guys okay?" she asked. Miroku sighed.

"Yeah…" he grumbled, sounding disappointed.

"Idiot," Shippo said, leaving Aurora to wonder what she just missed.

Inuyasha walked over to the wall and grabbed his sword. As soon as his hand wrapped around the hilt, it grew back into its full, powerful size. He pointed it at Kaguya.

"A half-demon? Bearing his fangs at me? You have tempted your fate," the woman snarled. Suddenly, the red lights drifting down around them moved towards Inuyasha, merging to reform his missing sleeve.

"The Robe of the Fire Rat is whole again," Kagome said.

"Maybe that means her power is declining?" Aurora suggested. She must have hit the nail on the head, because Kaguya grew even more angry.

"I've had just about enough of you!" Inuyasha yelled, slashing his sword in her direction. Light sprang from it, shooting towards her.

She raised her hand, one of the purple vines shooting from it. Inuyasha's attack easily sheered through it, ripping her arm apart as well. Flesh few in every direction (causing Aurora's stomach to churn), before it stopped, then merged back together, forming her arm once more.

"What!?" Inuyasha gasped, before smirking. "Hah, so you're no different from Naraku," he said.

"Now we can destroy her even easier!" Miroku said.

Suddenly, Kohaku cried out. Aurora staggered from the frigid air that blasted her from the boy, and she turned to see him grasping at his shoulder.

"What's the matter, Kohaku?" Sango asked. Aurora gasped, sensing it.

A second heart, coming from Kohaku. And one she recognized from her first day on this world.

"No…" she breathed.

"My shoulder feels like it's burning up!" Kohaku said. Sango pulled his sleeve down, and reeled back.

"AGH!" Miroku suddenly cried, grasping at his right hand. He ripped the beads off of it, and stared at his palm. A vacuum seemed to be coming from it, sucking his hair towards it. "The Wind Tunnel…"

"Let me see," Shippo said, climbing onto his shoulder. His eyes grew wide. "Hurry, Miroku! Seal it up, now!"

"Please, sister, get away from me!" Kohaku said. Sango quickly turned to him.

"Kohaku!" Sango cried. Aurora shot over.

"He's right! You have to move!" she said, grabbing the woman's arm and dragging her back.

"No, Aurora, stop! What's going on? Kohaku!" Sango cried, struggling against the Seer's grasp.

From his back burst the legs of a large, brown spider. He cried out in pain as it continued to grow from him. Sango gasped, gripping Aurora's wrist in fear.

Suddenly, the thing that was growing from the boy's back burst, sending the girls flying backwards.

When the smoke cleared, Naraku stood over Kohaku, a smirk playing across his face. The Heartless symbol pulsed on his bare chest.

"It's been far too long, Kaguya," the man said, having eyes only for the moon princess.

"Naraku. I thought you were dead," she snarled.

"Correct. I _was_ dead. Just long enough to lure you out," he said.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing! You faked your death for a while and removed my Wind Tunnel!?" Miroku demanded, looking down as his closed fist.

Sango quickly moved back over to her brother. "How cruel," she muttered. "How can he do this to you?"

Numerous tentacles moved towards the moon princess, and Miroku's eyes widened. "Inuyasha! He intends to absorb Kaguya!" the monk yelled.

"Huh!?" Inuyasha gasped.

"No one will interfere!" Naraku said.

"Hang on. I'll cut you away from Naraku." Sango stood, readying her boomerang. Before she could, Miroku tackled her away from the boy.

"Stop! Don't do this!" she yelled.

"You have to get away or you'll be absorbed to!" Miroku replied as they reached Aurora. Kirara grabbed all three of them, and shot into the rafters, Inuyasha and Kagome not too far behind.

Just then, Naraku dove towards Kaguya, who began to chant. The building shook, and rafters began to collapse, causing the group to dodge as they watched the two demons battle.

There was a blinding flash of light from Kaguya's mirror, and Naraku faded, leaving just the princess standing.

"What happened? Is he dead?" Shippo asked. Miroku looked down at his hand.

"No. It's not. He was using us this entire time," he growled.

"So what should we do?" Aurora asked.

"I don't know. If we defeat Kaguya, Naraku will absorb her. But… if she defeats us, she'll destroy us. Either way, Naraku benefits," the monk reasoned.

"Alright, I've heard enough," Inuyasha snarled, readying his sword. "We'll just destroy them both!" he surged forward. Aurora shot after him, casting a _Haste_ spell on herself to keep up. Inuyasha used a Wind Scar attack, and Aurora cast _Thunderga_ , combining the two. Unfortunately, they stopped short, just in front of Kaguya.

"Damn," Inuyasha growled. Aurora scowled as well. "You wench!" Inuyasha yelled, surging forward and attacking with his sword. Kaguya blocked his strikes and countered, which Inuyasha dodged. Aurora, meanwhile, kept up a steady stream of spells, all of which were blocked by the cracked, magic mirror. Thankfully, the damage seemed to have robbed it of the ability to reflect the spells back at her.

Kaguya suddenly jumped away from Inuyasha and slammed her sword into Aurora, who managed to lift her shield at the last second, and sent the Seer flying. She then began to chant, the mirror moving to float in front of her, facing Inuyasha.

Aurora rolled to her feet and shot forward, just a few steps behind Inuyasha. The mirror suddenly glowed. Aurora eyes widened, and she began to move to the side.

" _WIND TUNNEL!"_ Miroku yelled from behind, and Aurora and Inuyasha were sucked backwards, away from the attack. Both slammed into Miroku, and the three landed in a pile.

"Ow…" Aurora groaned.

"What the hell were you thinking!? I had that!" Inuyasha yelled at the monk, who gave him a deadpanned look.

"I figured you'd say that," he said. Aurora untangled herself from them, and clasped Miroku's shoulder.

"Thanks for the save," she said. The monk glanced at her in genuine surprise.

"No problem," he said.

Inuyasha, who was standing, gasped, and a sword suddenly struck the wood they were hiding behind, biting deeply through it, just in between Miroku and Aurora's faces. Both gasped and scrambled backwards as Kaguya wrenched the blade free, attacking Inuyasha once more.

Suddenly, she jumped back, holding her sword up high and chanting. Inuyasha shot forward.

"Inuyasha! A direct attack won't work!" Miroku yelled.

"Well it's too late!" was the reply.

"Return to my darkness and vanish forever!" A huge fireball shot forward. Aurora jumped onto the fallen beam and held her own hand forward.

" _METEOR!"_ she yelled, and the same sort of spell shot for her fingertips. Her spell shot past Inuyasha and slammed into Kaguya's spell, causing both to explode.

"Heh. Perfect. _BACKLASH WAVE!"_ Inuyasha yelled, swinging his sword forward. The attack shot through the explosion, carrying all of its energy with it, and shot towards the demon.

"That pathetic trick won't work," she said, and darkness pooled from her mirror, absorbing the attack.

"Inuyasha! Aurora! It's coming!" Kagome warned from above.

"We know!" Inuyasha said as Aurora ran over, standing next to him, ready.

The attack shot out of the ball of darkness, going in all directions and destroying more of the building. Inuyasha and Aurora shot forward, Aurora using _Reflect_ spells to block any attack that came near the two of them.

Inuyasha jumped into the air as they reached the origin of the spell, and drew his sword back. " _WIND SCAR!"_ he yelled.

" _THUNDAGA!"_ Aurora cried, adding her magic to the already impressive Wind Scar attack.

"Is that the best you have to offer me, half demon? Healer?" Kaguya asked.

"GO!" Kagome yelled. Aurora looked back to see her shooting a bow (that looked a lot like a transformed Shippo). It wasn't an arrow she shot, however, but Miroku's staff. Aurora watched as it shot through the attacks, caught the celestial robe, and slammed into the mirror, shattering it. Kaguya gasped in shock, looking back at it.

Aurora's and Inuyasha's joined attacks burst through Kaguya's, and slammed into the woman. She screamed as she was destroyed, and Inuyasha smirked.

"How was that?" he asked. Aurora took a deep breath, watching as a crystal heart floated up and away, vanishing from sight.

"It did the job…" Aurora sighed.

" _A mere half demon… a Healer… and a mortal…?"_ Kaguya's voice echoed as the attacks faded.

 _(Why does she keep calling me a Healer? I have no idea what that means…)_ Aurora thought, fingering her ribbon. _(Seer is one thing… but Healer?)_

"We did it!" Inuyasha cheered. A beam fell behind them, causing him, Aurora, and Kagome to cry out in shock as the floor caved in under them, and they began to fall. Kirara grabbed Aurora by the back of her hoody, while Sango, who was on her back, caught Kagome's hand.

"Hey you two. Need a lift?" she asked, helping Kagome onto Kirara's back, then Aurora.

"Good catch you two. We're fine over here!" Miroku called from the back of a transformed Shippo. Inuyasha was sitting next to the monk on his head, having landed that way.

"Oh, what a headache…" Shippo said, looking up at Inuyasha.

The group began to escape, only to have their way blocked by a gathering cloud of darkness.

"What is that?" Sango gasped as the two landed.

"Kaguya," Aurora gasped, sensing her. "But how!?" _(I saw the heart float away!)_

"My body may be destroyed, the heart freed, but I am an immortal heavenly being! You! Girl with the sacred powers! Healer! Your bodies and hearts shall be mine!" the darkness surged forward, wrapping around Kagome and Aurora, and dragging them back into the palace.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha called.

"Aurora!" Miroku yelled.

The dark cloud dropped the two of them on a beam and circled around, aiming first for Aurora.

"No! _REFLEGA_!" she cried. The cloud poured onto and around the shield, unable to break through.

"No matter. I will have you soon enough," Kaguya laughed.

Aurora shuddered, but not from Kaguya's words. Naraku's heart suddenly appeared again, and the demon appeared around Kagome, laughing his own diabolical chuckle.

The dark cloud shot away from the three of them, and Aurora was able to drop her spell. "Kagome, get down!" she yelled as she dived for the girl. " _FAITH!"_ Light shot up and around Aurora, shredding through Naraku.

" _WIND TUNNEL!"_ Miroku yelled, sucking in the cloud that was Kaguya. Aurora grabbed Kagome and jumped.

"What are you doing!?" Kagome screamed.

" _AEROGA!"_ Aurora cried. A tornado appeared around them and shot them into the air. Kirara and Sango dove towards them, catching the two girls.

"Are you two alright?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yeah…" Kagome gasped, clutching Kirara's fur. Aurora simply nodded, taking a quick drink of an Elixar (to restore her magic reserve) and trying to calm her pounding heart. The group looked up in time to see Naraku's head floating towards a glowing portal that had just appeared, originating from the shattered mirror. Kohaku stood next to it.

"Kohaku…" Sango gasped. Naraku entered the portal, and Kohaku followed after him.

"Sango… I'm sorry," Aurora said, reaching forward and giving her hand a squeeze. Sango simply lowered her head.

"We'd better hurry and get out of here," Miroku said.

"But how? Which way's out?" Kagome asked.

"We'll just follow Naraku. That should get us back to land," Miroku said, and the group turned to look at the mirror once more.

Everyone agreed, and the group shot forward, entering the mirror portal.

They landed on a grassy hill, with Shippo appearing last. He seemed unconscious for a moment, before he suddenly began struggling.

"Help! Help! She's coming! Inuyasha, you big coward!"

Aurora snorted, and Shippo froze, opening his eyes to see the group standing over him. All except Inuyasha looked highly amused.

Shippo sat up and looked around. "Where's Kaguya?" he asked.

"Don't worry. She's gone," Kagome said. "We're safe now!"

"Hey, look at that," Sango said. They followed her gaze to see the lake at the foot of the hill. The reflection of the Castle was fading.

"It's gone," Aurora said.

"So is the pentagon," Kagome said, looking up. The others did so too, but nothing was there.

"It's all over," Shippo said. Miroku looked at his hand.

"No. It's not over quite yet," he said. "Naraku is still alive, let's not forget."

"That's true. But at least we were able to destroy one thing he was after. That's something," Kagome said with a smile. Aurora took a deep breath, stepping a bit away from the group and letting out a sigh. Her mind was whirling with questions.

 _(What's a Healer? Why was Kaguya so fixated on that? Does it… have to do with what was happening with Inuyasha's heart?)_ she wondered, thinking back to those moments.

…

 _Aurora was no longer in the Castle, standing in front of Inuyasha. Instead, she was in a Station of Awakening, standing on a stain glass pillar._

 _Going by the picture, this was Inuyasha's heart. The picture was split into two. On one side was Inuyasha as he appeared completely human: black hair, regular fingernails, and no dog ears. His eyes were closed, but if they had been open, Aurora was sure they'd be brown. Circles surrounded him, with pictures of people inside: Kagome, which was the closest to his chest, Sango, Miroku, Shippo… and an older, beautiful woman, who Aurora didn't recognize. Behind him was Keade's Village._

 _On the other side was another picture of Inuyasha, laying the opposite way of the first. This one appeared full demon: silver hair, dog ears, purple facial markings, wicked fangs, and long, sharp claws. The circles around this version also contained people. The first, which was closest to this version's chest, was a woman who looked just like Kagome, but sadder looking. Naraku was in another of the circles and an angry looking silver haired man with pointed ears, red facial markings, and a purple crescent moon symbol on his forehead was in the third. The fourth contained another silver haired man who looked sad, his hair tied back, with purple facial markings, pointed ears, and arrows sticking out of his shoulders, and finally, Myōga was in the last one. Behind this version was a palace, not unlike Fey Manor, but this one was on fire._

" _The two halves of his heart…" Aurora breathed in understanding._

 _Suddenly the human half of his heart flashed, and began to fade to white. The edges of the human half began to crack, and pieces began to fall away._

" _NO!" Aurora yelled, dashing over to that side and falling to her knees. It felt like there was a fire building in her chest, and she wasn't sure if this was her power, or the power of the Guardian who had given her part of her heart two years ago, but she knew she could use it to save Inuyasha._

 _She pressed her fingers against the cool glass, right over the chest of the human version of Inuyasha, and focused, pushing the fire in her chest up to her shoulders, down her arms, and through her fingers, where it spread into the ground. The fading stopped. The cracks almost seemed to mend._

 _She was doing it! She was fixing Inuyasha's heart!_

 _Blinding pain struck her side suddenly, snapping her back to the castle, where she was pinned against a pillar._

…

 _(Thet was probably_ her _power, not mine…)_ Aurora thought, fingering the ribbon tied around her wrist. She then let out a deep sigh. _(Either way…_ now _what? The Star Shard left without me…)_ she thought, her fingers moving from the ribbon to the locket.

Something cold, almost smoke feeling, slithered around her ankle. She looked down, just in time to see a tendril of darkness tighten around her ankle, and yank. She cried out in shock as she fell, slamming into the grassy field, and was dragged backwards.

"Aurora!" the others called. There was a flash of red from the corner of her eye, and Inuyasha was there.

" _IRON REAVER-"_ he began to yell, his claws glowing, when Aurora saw something that turned her blood to ice.

"WATCH OUT!" She screamed, just as about twenty Neoshadows jumped from the shadows, lunging at the half-demon. It was too late. Inuyasha was tackled, thrown backwards.

Aurora twisted around so that she was being dragged on her back, rather than her stomach, and activated her shield. " _Faith!"_ she yelled, pointing at the tendril. In a flash of light, the darkness evaporated.

Aurora jumped to her feet, looking around. She had been dragged into a forest so thick, the canopy was blocking out the sun. The shadows danced and swayed in the breeze, setting Aurora on edge.

Then she sensed it. The blistering cold wind of a blizzard. She turned towards it, her eyes growing wide. Standing there, was Black Coat, his black-bladed rapier in his hand.

"It ends here, Wright," he growled, before surging forward. Aurora spun on her heel and ran, the branches slapping her and snagging at her clothes.  
"You won't get away that easily, Wright!" the man snarled, slashing his rapier through the air. Darkness sprang from it, grabbing her ankle, and she hit the ground with a thud.

"No!" she cried. More darkness wrapped up her leg. Then a tendril grabbed her arm, then her other wrist, and she was dragged from the ground, held in the air. The darkness covered her shield, effectively neutralizing her magic.

The man walked around her, standing directly in front of her.

"A Healer. Who would have thought there'd be any left?" he spat, before shaking his head. "No matter. The rest of your heart is mine," he said. The rapier changed into a black and silver, double bladed Keyblade with a demonic, blue eye at the tip of the blade. He pointed it at her chest.

"NO!" Aurora screamed, tears of real fear streaking her face. She struggled against the darkness holding her, trying to escape. Her chest felt tight. It was getting hard to breathe through her panic.

Suddenly, the locket at her throat began to glow. It flashed brightly, lighting up the space between trees. The light shot upwards into the sky, revealing that Aurora… had disappeared.

…

Master Yen Sid's eyes widened as he listened to what Lea was telling him. As he finished, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy jumped, gasping. Then Donald flipped.

"Absolutely not!" he yelled.

"I sensed something was amiss nearly the moment Sora and Riku departed," Yen Sid admitted. "Xehanort must have known what we were attempting before we even began."

"But you do know where they are?" Goofy asked.

"You must understand, this examination is in no way how the Mark of Mastery is usually found," the old wizard said, stroking his beard. "However, in light of what they must do next… it was a necessity. If Sora and Riku complete their test, by finding the seven doors corresponding to the seven pure lights, they will return home with a new power. At that point, they will both be true masters. However, the dangers make this more trial than test," he explained.

"But are they safe right now?" Mickey asked.

"Considering their ability, I would like to believe that they are. However, all my attempts to locate Sora and Riku end… questionably," Yen Sid answered. Lea crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Xehanort is a devious tactician. There is nothing we can do that he will not, to some extent, be able to predict."

"So…?" Mickey asked.

"As you can see, the Organization's members are complete people again," Yen Sid said, looking up at Lea. "Xehanort will be no different. We cannot afford another moment's hesitation. We must consider any strategy to outwit Xehanort and catch him off guard." Mickey, Donald, and Goofy turned to face Lea once as well. "I must warn you again—the road will not be easy."

"Fine. Let's jump right in," Lea said. Yen Sid nodded, and lifted his hand, which had begun to glow, when his attention snapped to the corner of the room.

A portal made of darkness was forming. Lea, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy all summoned their weapons, preparing for an attack… when Edym and Phoenix stepped from it. The man in the blue suit shuddered, rubbing his arms at the goosebumps the dark portal had given him.

"Demyx!?"

"Axel!?"

The two ex-Nobodies stared at each other in surprise for a moment.

"Gawrsh! I remember you! You're Aurora's older brother, right?" Goofy said, looking at Edym. He nodded, immediately looking around.

"Yes, Aurora. Is she here?" he demanded, while Phoenix stared at the royal entourage, as though trying to readjust his entire perspective on life.

"No. Why would she be?" Mickey asked, getting another bad feeling. Edym and Phoenix exchanged looks, their faces masks of horror.

"Well, Aurora went looking for Sora and Riku… who are actually supposed to be here, taking an exam?" Phoenix said.

"Yes. Both are in the middle of their Marks of Mastery," Yen Sid said with a nod. "But if she knew of this, why would she attempt to come find them?"

"She had a nightmare, though she explained it as more of a vision," Phoenix said. "Apparently, in her dream, there were twenty paths – thirteen dark, seven light – all leading to Kingdom Hearts." This got everyone's attention. "One of the light paths suddenly darkened, and the ground splintered. She said darkness oozed from the cracks, taking over the path, and turning it just as dark as the thirteen dark ones." Yen Sid, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy stared at him with huge eyes, while Lea frowned. "Her heart's connected to Riku's. She fears that Riku is in danger."

"Master Yen Sid?" Mickey asked, turning to the wizard, who's face had grown thoughtful and worried.

"I have not yet met this Aurora, but if she truly is connected to Riku as you say, and if her magical potential is as strong as I have been lead to believe, then that dream might very well come to pass," the wizard said.

"I think she's in danger, too," Edym said, stepping forward. "I mean, I don't even know how she managed world travel. She can't portal or anything, but she's been gone from how for a while, and if she's not here…"

"I will attempt to locate her," Yen Sid said, before closing his eyes.

…

 **A/N:** Phoenix met Sora and Riku before… but now he's finally meeting everyone else, haha!

Also, the Healer thing. I gave a taste of what it was here, but it might change slightly in the future. Just know that it is EXTREMELY important to the over-all plot, and will get explained a little later in this story!

Also, this story is getting closer and closer to the end! Who recognized the last scene from the Inuyasha world, with Black Coat?


	7. Twilight Town

**A/N:** Here we go with another chapter! This one, and the ones after this, should be shorter than the past few, which means I should be able to get them up faster. Things are starting to come to an end!

So, without further ado, ONWARD!

…

Chapter Seven: Twilight Town

Olette was having a good day. She was running late going to the Usual Spot, but it was because she was finishing her homework. Hayner and Pence tried getting her to bring it with her, but she never got her work done around them.

She hopped down the steps in front of the train station and was entering Market Street, when she saw light streak across the sky, almost like a shooting star. She watched it for a moment, before gasping, noticing it land in the woods just beyond Tram Common. She took off in that direction, quickly reaching the break in the wall that was the entrance into the woods.

Here she slowed down, unsure of what she would meet. "I should have grabbed the boys," she muttered. Pence wasn't much use in a fight, but Hayner was pretty handy with a bat.

Suddenly, she heard someone hyperventilating in one of the shadows. She moved a little closer, and gasped.

Kneeling on the ground, her arms wrapped tight around her chest, and her body curled in on itself, was Aurora. It was her who was hyperventilating, her right hand clutched tightly over her heart.

"Aurora?" she called, stepping forward.

"NO!" the girl screamed in blind panic, and geysers of water erupted around her. Olette scrambled back, narrowly avoiding being struck by one. As the spells died down, she looked back at her friend, this time speaking softly.

"Aurora, it's alright. It's me. It's Olette," she called soothingly. After a moment, Aurora opened her eyes, looking up.

"O-Olette…?" she gasped. The brunette nodded, coming closer and kneeling next to her. She wrapped her arms around the freaked out girl, hugging her.

"It's alright. You're safe. Calm down," Olette said. After a few minutes, Aurora's breathing slowed, moving from hyperventilating to panting, then to normal breathing. She slowly loosened her arms around her chest, though her hand stayed over her heart. Finally, she buried her face in Olette's shoulder.

"What happened to you? Sora, Donald, and Goofy saved you… right?" Olette asked, almost scared to ask. After all, it's been a year since she'd last seen the girl.

"Yes, they did," Aurora said, her voice muffled by Olette's shoulder. "I went home and everything," she sighed, then pulled back, looking around. "How… how did I get here?" she wondered out loud. Olette shook her head.

"I don't know. I just found you," she said, before standing and pulling Aurora up. "Come on, let's get to the Usual Spot. There, you can explain what's going to the three of us."

"Right," Aurora said, letting Olette pull her along.

"About time you got here, Olette!" Hayner called as they entered. Olette rolled her eyes.

"Sorry. I had to make a detour," she said, stepping aside to reveal Aurora. The boys both gasped, jumping up and coming over.

"Aurora! You're okay! We didn't think we'd ever see you again after that creep pushed you through that portal," Pence said. Aurora chuckled weakly.

"That creep… was actually my boyfriend," she said. "He did that to save me. He was sending me to a place where there were people who were strong, who could fight the man with the—" Aurora cut off, and her arms wrapped around her chest again. Just thinking about that man sent shivers up and down her spin.

 _(It was my nightmare, in real life. I really did almost lose my heart. Oh god… but… what saved me? This?)_ She put a hand to her locket. _(But how?)_

"Aurora?" Hayner called, putting a hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, before looking up at him.

"Oh, um… sorry. There's…. a lot going on," she admitted. The group glanced at each other, before drawing her more into the Usual Spot.

"Why don't you tell us? It might help to get everything off your chest," Olette said, sitting next to her on the couch. Aurora hesitated only for a moment, before nodding.

"Alright."

So, she told them. She told them about finding Riku and Kairi, how she helped defeat Xemnas, going home and finishing school, passing the bar, then her dream/vision, finding the Star Shard and leaving home, and everything that happened, until finally, she reached the part where the man in the Black Coat had nearly claimed the rest of her heart.

"Whoa," Pence muttered.

"That's… quite the story," Hayner said. Aurora nodded.

"Yes. But… now I'm stranded again," she sighed, tears of frustration pooling in her eyes. While she did feel better after telling them about the man in the Black Coat, it didn't help her current situation.

"Well, there is two options," Pence suddenly said. Aurora looked up at him.

"Huh?"

"Yeah. Last time Sora was here, he used an old computer in the Mansion to go to the 'Other Twilight Town.' Which lead him to the Organization's Strong hold," Hayner said.

"And the second option?" Aurora asked curiously.

"The Ghost Train!" Olette gasped. "Remember? Sora, Donald, and Goofy took that the first time they were here. I don't know where it took them, but it must have been off world, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, you're right!" Aurora said with a small smile. She closed her eyes. "So, the Other Twilight Town, or the Ghost Train. Which should I—" she cut off, her eyes snapping open as she sensed a blistering cold enter the area. She quickly stood.

A dark portal opened in the entrance, and the man in the black coat stepped out. "So, again, you return to this world. It appears that your heart calls for it," he said. Aurora shuddered. Every time he had spoken to her before, his voice always had a mocking edge to it. But now… that was gone. This time, and the last time, his voice was hard, and dark. "But… what would happen if your friends were lost?" Darkness suddenly pooled behind him, forming a large heartless, which shot forward.

"NO!" Aurora yelled, activating her shield. She tried to stop the Heartless, but it grabbed Hayner, Pence, and Olette in oversized hands, shooting back over to the man. Aurora watched as the three of them struggled, calling out to her for help.

"You've let so many friends down." This time, his voice was mocking. Aurora gritted her teeth, glaring at him. "All on the whim of a little charm."

"Wait!" Aurora gasped, reeling back slightly. "The Star Shard… you!" she snarled, glaring at him. "You planted the Star Shard, didn't you? Knowing I would find it! Knowing I'd be too desperate to think about what it was doing on that world! I should have realized it was too convenient, but I was too focused on finding Sora and Riku… and if you planted it… you were controlling it too, weren't you?"

"Of course," the man said, and she could _hear_ his smirk in his voice. "Most Star Shards are blue and green, and emit a golden light. All it took was a little touch of darkness to taint that shard as thoroughly. But… that doesn't matter."

"Sora and Riku are sinking deeper into slumber, Wright. So now, you must choose. Those two? Or these three?" the man vanished in a burst of darkness, and the Heartless shot out of the Usual Spot, taking Hayner, Pence, and Olette with him.

"Wait!" she cried, before stomping her foot in frustration. She then closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Riku… Sora… I'm sorry," she whispered, before running after the Heartless.

It floated over the town, carrying the Twilight Town Trio with it. Aurora used an air spell to launch herself onto the roofs of the town, too focused on the Heartless to notice how high up in the air she was, as she chased after them. She was too afraid to use attack spells though, afraid to hurt her friends.

 _(Guess I have to get in close, then!)_ " _WATERGA!"_ she called, water shooting from her shield and forming a trail through the air, which she jumped on and surfed after the Heartless. The Heartless shot over the wall that held the entrance to the woods, and over the tops of the trees themselves, Hayner, Pence, and Olette all the while calling for help.

"I'm coming, guys!" she called back, leaning forward, picking up speed as she surfed her water spell. Once she was close enough, she jumped into the air, and threw her shield with all her might. It slammed into the Heartless's head, causing it to tumble to the ground.

"No! _AEROGA!"_ she yelled as her shield returned to her, and a whirlwind of air appeared around the Heartless and the three, cushioning their fall. She jumped down, off of the spell, and landed near them, on the front lawn of the Mansion.

The Heartless shook its head and began to sit up. Aurora threw her shield again, and struck it in the arm. The Heartless jumped, and that hand opened, releasing Pence.

"RUN!" she yelled at him, catching her shield and doing the same to the other arm, with the same effect. Hayner, Pence, and Olette took off, entering the Mansion, while the Heartless turned to Aurora. She scowled and lowered, bringing the shield up protectively.

"Bring it," she snarled.

The Heartless shot forward. Aurora smirked. " _Expecto Patronum!"_ she yelled, turning her mind to happy thoughts. To finding Riku. Light burst from her shield and formed the shape of a porcupine. It's needles bristled, and it shot forward, meeting the Heartless. Aurora smirked. " _Fumos!"_ A dark grey fog filled the area, hiding her from view. The light from her Patronus, on the other hand, was visible, letting Aurora see exactly where the Heartless was as the porcupine attacked it.

She ran to the side, moving away from where the Heartless had last seen her, and pointed at one of the broken stone structures in the front lawn. " _ACCIO!"_ she yelled. It shot towards her, and she rolled out of the way, turning as it flew past. " _Everte Statum!"_ the spell hit the large stone, and it shot forward, slamming into the Heartless. It was about then that the dark smoke began to disperse. The Heartless floated up, shook it's head, and shot towards Aurora, who rolled out of the way. Her Patronus clung to its back, but the Heartless spun in the air, throwing it off. It slammed into the ground, and vanished.

"Damn…" she whispered, watching the Heartless. It shook itself off, then shot towards Aurora again. " _Reflega!"_ she called, and the barrier appeared. She smirked and placed her right hand against it. " _Firaga!"_ the barrier took on a red tint, just as the Heartless slammed full speed into it. The shield exploded in a fire burst, and the Heartless recoiled in pain.

"Yes!" Aurora cheered, before smirking. " _Zero Gravira_!" Purple light surrounded the Heartless, lifting it into the air. Aurora shot forward, cloaking her shield in water magic, and used it to slash at the creature a few times.

Unfortunately, just as the Zero Gravity spell wore off, the Heartless warped away, narrowly avoiding Aurora's final attack.

The Heartless had just about enough of her, however, and shot forward, slashing at her. Aurora blocked with her shield, parrying the attack and creating openings, where she'd throw her shield at it to cause damage.

She could only keep this up for a few minutes, however, since she was a magic fighter, not a physical one.

Finally, she parried once more, creating another opening, and rolled backwards, out of the Heartless's range.

" _WATERGA_!" she yelled, encasing the Heartless in a bubble of water. "It ends here," she snarled. " _THUNDERGA!"_ she yelled, pointing at the bubble. The sky darkened, and large bolts of lightning rained down on the bubble of magical water. The Heartless struggled and writhed, but couldn't escape.

With one last strike of thunder, the Heartless spasmed, then exploded into black smoke, a crystal heart floating up and away. Aurora dropped to her knees, panting hard for a moment, before she forced herself to her feet and ran towards the Mansion.

"Hayner? Pence? Olette?" she called as she entered, only to see a broken two-by-four swing towards her face. "WHOA!" she cried, dropping to the ground, and narrowly avoiding it. "Hayner, wait! It's just me! The Heartless is gone!" Aurora cried.

Hayner froze, gripping the wood tightly, as he looked down at Aurora.

"O-oh. Sorry…" he muttered, tossing the wood away. Aurora stood, brushing herself off, and looked at him. He was as white as a ghost.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Hayner gave a small nod.

"Just shaken. Same with Olette and Pence. Come on, they're in the library," he said. Aurora nodded, following him towards the room. Olette and Pence quickly looked up as they entered, but relaxed when seeing who it was.

"I'm sorry, guys. What happened… that was my fault," Aurora said.

"The Man in the Black Coat…" Pence muttered. "He was the same one who attacked you last time you were here, wasn't he?"

"Yes," Aurora said. Pence looked thoughtful.

"I know you said you guys defeated the Organization… but he was trying to take you back there last time… I wonder if he works for them?" he mused.

"I don't know. But… he's been playing me for a fool this whole time. And… I can't help but to wonder…"

"Wonder what?" Olette asked.

"Well, why? What's so specialy about me? Also, the last world I was on, I was called a Healer. I don't know what that means, but I think it has something to do with my abilities as a Seer. Since then, this guy has seemed more… I don't know, serious? I just don't understand why…"

"Well, that's something you have to figure out then, isn't it?" Hayner said, before looking down at the basement. "And if that guy _was_ working for the Organization, then maybe he's at their stronghold."

"Which means… Sora and Riku might be there, too. Or, at the very least, a few answers to my questions," Aurora concluded.

"Right," Hayner said.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Olette asked, starting down the steps. "Let's get Aurora to that Other Twilight Town!"

"Right!" the boys called, leading Aurora down the steps after Olette. Aurora smiled slightly, happy the trio seemed back to their usual selves.

A few minutes later, Aurora was standing in the alcove of the transporter. Pence was seated at the computer. He glanced at back at her.

"Ready?"

"Yes," she said with a nod.

"Good luck. And… thanks for saving us," Hayner said. Aurora smiled warmly at him with a nod.

"No problem. You three be safe, okay?" she said as the transporter turned on.

"Alright."

In a flash of light, she disappeared. Meanwhile, in the Other Twilight Town, she ran through the rooms, and into the portal that lead to The World That Never Was.

…

Yen Sid frowned slightly, opening his eyes. By now, Lea had left, leaving Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Edym, and Phoenix in the tower with the wizard.

He turned to look at the group.

"I had found her in Twilight Town, but… she has vanished once more," the Wizard admitted.

"Twilight Town? Aurora had said she had friends there," Phoenix gasped, thinking back to that picture hanging in her's and Trucy's room. Yen Sid nodded.

"Yes, but… there is a great darkness that is following her. You were right, Edym. Aurora herself is in grave danger."

"Gosh, Master Yen Sid, is it Xehanort?" Mickey asked. Yen Sid shook his head.

"I cannot say."

"Oh…"

"Well, Twilight Town is as good as any place to start," Edym said, turning from the others and opening a portal. Phoenix stepped after him. "We'll be back," the ex-Nobody said, as the two vanished.

Silence ruled the room once more for a few moments, before Mickey looked up. "Master Yen Sid. Gosh, do ya think he'll be able to do it?" he asked.

"Hm…" the old man stroked his beard. "It's clear you cannot teach a cat to bark, but Merlin and the three good fairies are aiding him in a place that's more… temporally flexible. My hope is that he can at least learn to wield it. He certainly has fire, so I suppose it depends now on how strongly it burns."

"Oh…" Mickey muttered. "Well, what about Sora and Riku? You were able to find Aurora for a moment, so…"

"Well, if we are running on the assumption Xehanort knew what we were planning, which I now believe thanks to young Aurora's vision… then he still would need to have been there—back in the very place and time when the Destiny Islands were lost to darkness. Otherwise, Sora and Riku would have been beyond his reach. So, perhaps it is not Sora or Riku to which Aurora's vision pertained," Yen Sid said hopefully.

"Gee, I guess it wouldn't be possible for Xehanort to have planned things _that_ far in advance…" Mickey agreed.

"Of course it would not…" Yen Sid agreed. Goofy, meanwhile, had a thoughtful look on his face.

"But what if he did the same thing as Sora and Riku did, and he jumped through time?" Goofy suddenly said.

"For that to work, a version of himself would have had to exist at both source and destination. Not even Xehanort can transport his whole body across vast reaches of time," Yen Sid explained.

Mickey suddenly gasped. "Oh… Oh no. I remember—Xehanort _did_ give up his body," the King explained. "It was a version of him that was possessing Riku!"

Yen Sid's eyes widened in horror. "No! It cannot be. Could he be that cunning, possess that kind of foresight? If so… perhaps Riku truly is in danger…"

"If it's all right with you, can I go help Sora and Riku out?" Mickey pleaded.

"How? You cannot enter the world of a dream. Where will you go?" Yen Sid said.

"If Xehanort really is behind all this, then they won't stay in the dream worlds forever. Eventually, they're gonna reappear somewhere that we can go reach 'em. And we can even probably guess the place. I bet _that's_ where Aurora vanished to from Twilight Town. After all, she's trying to reach them as well, and there is an entrance to that place from Twilight Town," Mickey explained. "Follow the hearts, and you'll find the way. That's something Master Aqua told me once."

Yen Sid studied him for a moment longer, before nodding.

"King Mickey…" Donald began.

"We're goin' too," Goofy said.

"Aw, fellas, you're my best pals. But this time, I really do need to go it alone. The dangers are greater than anything we've ever faced before. If something were to happen to Sora and Riku and Aurora and me—why, you'll be the only ones left to keep this world safe. Besides, I want you to be here for when Edym and Phoenix return," Mickey explained. Both aids sighed, slumping forward.

"Mickey," Yen Sid said, reclaiming the King's attention. "I was not able to locate Sora, but I sense Riku's presence in the realm between. As well as Aurora's. Trust your heart, and I know you will find them."

"Thank you. I promise I'll bring all three of them back safe and sound," Mickey said, bowing his head.

…

Edym and Phoenix walked through the winding street of Twilight Town.

"So… was I seeing things… or was that actually a giant, talking mouse?" Phoenix finally asked. Edym glanced at him strangely.

"No… you weren't seeing things. Wait, are you still stuck on that?" he asked.

"It was… a giant… talking mouse. What is there _not_ to be stuck on?" Phoenix demanded. Edym snorted at that, before looking up, catching sight of Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

"Hey, are those the kids from Aurora's picture?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Phoenix said with a smile, and the two walked forward.

"Excuse me," Edym said, causing the trio to stop. "We're looking for Aurora, and we hear she's been through here. Have you seen her?"

"Um…" the three glanced at each other, seeming unsure. "Why?" Hayner finally asked.

"I'm her older brother, and this is her cousin. We think she might be in danger," Edym admitted.

"Well, they do look like her. Even his eyebrows," Olette reasoned to the boys, pointing at Phoenix's eyebrows. She looked up at the two men. "She went to the Other Twilight Town, trying to find Sora and Riku," she explained.

"The 'Other Twilight Town'?" Phoenix asked.

"Yeah. It's a virtual town that connects this world to what used to be Organization XIII's strong hold," Pence said.

" _WHAT!?"_ both men practically yelled.

"She's going to The World That Never Was?" Edym demanded, grabbing the boy by his shoulders. "Why!?"

"Well, some creep in a black coat attack her. Said something about Sora and Riku being trapped in sleep or something… He's the same one that kidnapped Aurora before, so… she connected it to the Organization…" Hayner explaind.

"Oh god…" Edym let go of Pence, and turned to look at Phoenix, who looked just as grim.

"We should get back to Yen Sid's. Maybe he'll… know what to do," Phoenix said. Edym nodded and opened a portal, through which both men entered.

The trio was silent for a moment.

"Do you think we did the right thing, letting her go off on her own?" Olette asked.

"Yeah. I don't think we had much of a choice," Hayner replied.

"Do you… think we should have told those two?" Pence added.

"That… I'm not too sure about," Hayner sighed, and the three continued on their way.

…

 **A/N:** Things are really speeding up now!


	8. The World That Never Was

**A/N:** Another chapter has arrived! This one has a BIG REVEAL! I can't wait to see your reactions to this.

Well, here we go!

…

 **Chapter Eight: The World That Never Was**

Aurora looked around as she stepped out the alleyway. She had spent time in The World That Never Was before _(way more then I'd ever have done by choice_ … _),_ but this was only the second time she'd been out in the city, and the last time, she'd been focused on keeping up with Roxas, and staying alert of any Organization members.

She sighed at remembering that, before shaking her head.

"I've gotta focus," she muttered, before walking forward.

She didn't make it more than a few steps when Neoshadows surged from the darkness, jumping at her.

" _Watera!_ " she yelled as she jumped back, activating her shield. The spell hit two of the Heartless, but the third slammed into her shield. She fell back under its weight but rolled, using a _Fire_ spell to destroy it. She quickly got to her feet, and looked around.

"Oh god…" she whispered as she noticed there were hundreds of Neoshadows around her. "There's no way…" _(I have to run!)_

She took off, moving as fast as her legs would carry her. As she weaved through the dark city, more and more Heartless appeared around her, lunging from the shadows. She dodged, or cast a few spells, but she knew she couldn't keep this up forever. Eventually, they'd outrun her and over power her.

Finally, she made it to a large, open square, with a skyscraper overlooking it. _(Now or never…)_ she thought, jumping up the stairs, turning to face the Heartless, and pressing her back against the locked doors. The Neoshadows dove towards her, but Aurora managed to take them out, protecting herself using magic and her shield.

Suddenly, they stopped attacking. They scurried away. Aurora was left, panting and confused, as she watched after them.

Then she sensed it from above. The chilling blizzard that always proceeded _his_ arrival. Aurora quickly downed an Elixir as she moved away from the skyscraper, looking up. The man in the black coat stood on top of the building, his arms crossed elegantly across his chest. His head was turned down, towards her.

"You again!" she yelled. His head twitched slightly, and he vanished in a portal of darkness, only to appear in one that appeared at the foot of the skyscraper. He glanced over his shoulder, at the building.

"Memory Skyscraper. How amusing. No memory withstands the test of time quite like a building," he said. Aurora lowered slightly, making sure she was prepared for… whatever it was he was planning. He turned his head, looking at her again.

"After all, memories can be manipulated or twisted. In a court of law, one's memories must be backed up by evidence."

"This is the second time you've acted like you know my world," Aurora said warily, before frowning. "Who are you? What do you want with me?" she demanded.

"Originally, my job was to contain you. Keep you firmly under my control. It worked, for a while. But now that I know you are not just a Seer, but a Healer…" he reached up, pushing the hood back, letting it fall to his shoulders to reveal his face. "I have to destroy you. I must say, this would make an excellent revenge on Wright and Justice, with how much they care for you."

Aurora gasped, staggering back slightly. The face that stared at her was a familiar one, but one she never thought she'd see again. Pale blond hair, curled into a drill shape over his left shoulder, a strong jaw… the only difference was the yellow eyes that glowed at her from behind his rimless glasses.

"K-Kristoph Gavin?" she gasped.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't see it before. The evidence was all there," he said, crossing his arms as he looked down at her, a condescending smile across his face. Aurora gritted her teeth together, crouching down. He shook his head at her, adjusting his glasses, before uncrossing his arms, summoning his rapier and shifting into the traditional fencing stance.

"Because we needed you alive before, I never unleashed my full power. That ends now," Gavin said. The black blade of his weapon flashed with toxic purple light, and thin, purple smoke began to surround the blade.

"Wha—AH!" Aurora cried it shock as Gavin shot forward. She raised her shield just as he lunged for her chest. The tip of his sword glanced off the shield, skittering to the side, but he kept his balance, instead spinning to bring the sword down from the other direction. Aurora managed to raised her shield once more, intercepting the attack, before she jumped back.

" _WATERGA!"_ she yelled.

"Hmph. Predictable," Gavin scoffed as a Dark Barrier appeared in front of him, blocking the spell. Aurora gritted her teeth and tried a few more spells. None succeeded in connecting.

Suddenly, Gavin vanished, a dark portal surrounding him before disappearing.

"Wha—AGH!" Aurora spun as she sensed his heart from behind, only to cry out in pain as the tip of his sword found her shoulder.

It was like fire erupting under her skin. She grasped at her right shoulder, where the wound had been inflicting, gasping in pain. With a yell of fury, she darted forward, attacking once more.

"The poison has already entered your system," Gavin said, easily dodging and blocking her attacks. "It'll spread faster the more you move."

He was right. Aurora could feel the fire under her skin already traveling down her arm. She slowed to a stop, moving back from him once more.

"That's more like it. I'd say you have perhaps… three minutes. One, if you continue to move around."

"You… you rotten-!" Aurora snarled, her breathing becoming heavier. Her entire right arm was on fire now, and she could feel it spreading across her chest and down towards her legs. A moment later, her legs gave out, and she crashed to her knees, gasping in pain. Gavin watched with a smirk.

"Goodbye, Aurora Wright. I must say, you were more of a challenge to bring down then your cousin."

"She's not done yet!" Familiar warmth washed over her as Gavin was blasted back by a powerful Holy spell, and suddenly, King Mickey was standing next to Aurora. He quickly took in her appearance, before pulling a bottle from his pocket.

"Hurry, Aurora! You've gotta drink this! It's an antidote," he explained. Aurora nodded, doing as he said.

Almost immediately, the fire cooled, instead becoming a tingly pins and needles feeling. Aurora sighed in relief, standing and downing another Elixir. She then turned to face Gavin, who gripped his rapier a little tighter. Other than that, he exuded calm confidence.

"Hiding behind your friends won't protect you forever, Wright," he said, before freezing. He tipped his head to the side, as though listening to something the other two couldn't hear, then smirked and stood up straight, his sword vanishing.

"I must attend to something else. I will see you soon." He vanished.

"Aurora? Are you okay?" Mickey asked, looking up at the girl. She took a deep breath, before nodding.

"Yes, thanks to you, Your Majesty. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came to find you and Sora and Riku," Mickey said. Aurora jumped slightly.

"Oh, right! King Mickey, I think they're in danger. I had—"

"I know. Phoenix and Edym already told us," Mickey said.

"Oh, well—wait! _Edym!?_ But…" she looked down, her hands balled into fists, her eyes swimming. "Your Majesty, that's not funny," she said lowly, her voice thick. Mickey stopped, turning to her. "You know Edym is dead."

"Huh? Oh! No, Aurora. _None_ of the Organization is dead," Mickey said, darting over to her. "After their Nobodies faded, they become whole beings again! At least… Edym and Lea did," Mickey explained, taking her hand comfortingly. "Edym's alive. And he and your cousin are looking for you. Gosh, why I betcha you'll be seeing them real soon!"

Aurora looked up at the king, her watering eyes wide. Finally, she laughed slightly, wiping her eyes.

"Really?"

"Really."

"I can't wait…" Aurora said with a smile, before growing series, turning to look at The Castle That Never Was. "But first, we gotta save Sora and Riku."

"Great! Let's get going!" Mickey said, leading the way. As they walked, Mickey explained everything they had figured out up to this point, while Aurora explained what happened with her.

…

 **A/N:** I present… KRISTANORT!


	9. Sora's Fate

**A/N:** And here we go with more KH cutscenes! Also, Aurora figures out who her vision was actually about, and sees Riku at age fifteen for the first time!

…

Chapter Nine: Sora's Fate

Aurora and King Mickey quickly made their way through The World That Never Was and entered the castle. Rather than facing Heartless or Nobodies though, as Aurora expected, they were faced with a new type of creature.

"Nightmares!" Mickey gasped.

"What?" Aurora gasped.

"They're a type of Dream Spirits; the creatures Riku and Sora were to face during their Mark of Mastery. Why… I know we're in the real world… but Xehanort must have pulled this castle into the Realm of Sleep!" Mickey gasped. Aurora wanted to ask more about what he meant, but it was at that moment that the creatures, who honestly, were all rather cute, decided to attack. Thankfully, they were just like the Heartless, and were easy to take down.

"So, what do we do if we find the boys… and Xehanort?" Aurora asked as they moved on.

"Why, we stop him," Mickey said. Then he froze, his eyes lighting up. "That's it! Aurora, do you know _Stopza?"_ he asked. Aurora shook her head.

"No. The most powerful one I know is _Stopga…_ " she admitted.

"Alright, I can work with that!" Mickey said with a smile, before teaching her the more powerful spell. He had her practice it on the Nightmares they met on their way through the castle, until he was sure she had it down.

…

As the two of them walked through the castle, Aurora froze. Coldness, like a blizzard, was rolling from the room they were walking past: but there were two other things.

The first was a mixture of light and dark, so familiar to Aurora, she could place it anywhere. The second was a dimmed light, like a heart that was fast asleep.

"Your Majesty!" she hissed, darting over to the door. Mickey was right next to her.

"Thanks to you and Sora, we've learned that not all our candidates were up for the task. But we managed to make up the difference. And now, Sora, the thirteenth vessel, is within our grasp," Aurora didn't recognize the voice, but Mickey had a puzzled frown on his face.

"Thirteen… Xehanort?" That voice belonged to Riku. Aurora's heart pounded when hearing it, especially with how freaked he sounded. He then gasped, and Aurora could hear the sound of portals opening, one after the other. Mickey and Aurora glanced at each other, their eyes wide. "What is…!" Riku gasped.

"The real Organization XIII," the first voice said.

"The Organization!?" Riku gasped. Aurora echoed his words in a whisper, her heart pounding so fast, it was attempting to escape her chest.

"I am Xehanort from the most distant past. My future self gave me a task—to visit the splintered versions of myself in many worlds, and ensure they gathered here today," the first voice explained.

"Oh god… that means thirteen different Xehanorts are _here!?_ " Aurora hissed. Mickey shook his head, listening.

"From the past?" Riku gasped.

"There are restrictions to movement through time. There must be a version of you waiting at the destination. Upon arrival, you can only move forward as per the laws of time. And you cannot rewrite the events that are destined to happen."

"What have you done?" Riku demanded.

"My most future self will arrive soon. Then time for all of us will return to normal, and I will go back to my era to live the life fate has in store. _He_ can vouch for that."

"King Mickey…" Aurora muttered.

"Right. Let's go!"

The two surged forward into the room, using a combination of powerful _Holy_ and _Faith_ magic to flood the room with light.

" _STOPZA!"_ they yelled in unison. The powerful stop spell spread through the room effecting everyone except for themselves and Riku.

The man who had been talking to Riku, the Youngest Xehanort, froze in midair, where he had been flung from the light spell.

Riku, meanwhile, was covering his face with a groan. A pang of guilt shot through Aurora as she realized it was probably from the combined light spell.

Finally he looked up, though, to see the youngest Xehanort frozen, and a large bubble of time magic surrounding the circle of thirteen thrones.

"I'm glad we're not too late," Mickey said, turning to Riku. Aurora grinned as she looked back at him as well.

 _(Why does he look so… young?)_ Aurora wondered, before remembering the King saying he and Sora had been sent back in time in their dreams. _(Which makes him… fifteen? Oh gosh. He's adorable!)_ Aurora thought, before noticing his star-locket was around his neck now, resting in the hollow of his throat. She smiled warmly at that.

Riku, on the other hand, was all business. "Mickey! Aurora!" he gasped, running over to the two of them.

"Just grab Sora so we can go! We can't stop them for long," Mickey said. Aurora glanced around and spotted the spiky haired brunette in one of the chairs, seemingly asleep. She then looked up and around. All of the figures were wearing Organization cloaks, with only a few that had their hoods down. That included Xemnas, Xigbar, a man who looked just like the form Riku had taken on last year ( _Xehanort's Heartless?)_ , and Kristoph Gavin.

In the highest chair was a swirl of darkness that seemed to be forming a human figure. Aurora shuddered.

"Okay!" Riku said.

The heart behind them moved. "Guys!" Aurora cried, spinning around and lifting her shield. A Keyblade slammed into it, sending her skidding back a few inches, but Mickey wasn't so lucky. Unprepared, he was send flying.

"Mickey!" Aurora and Riku yelled as the mouse king fell off the raised platform, his Keyblade skittering away.

Aurora stared at the man in front of her, her heart going a mile a minute. Riku quickly turned to face him as well.

"I said, hands off!" the man snapped.

"How can you be moving?" Riku demanded.

Darkness surrounded the man, and he summoned a Keyblade. It was long, with a glowing blue blade, and dark gray gears making up the handguard. An hourglass hung from the chain, and there was a clock face at the tip of the blade, topped with a demonic goat head, and blue spikes making up the key's teeth.

Young Xehanort's eyes flashed a brilliant yellow. " _Be gone!"_ he growled. Darkness surrounded the three of them, blinding Aurora and Riku for a moment.

When the darkness faded, Aurora and Riku were standing on a white translucent platform that had gears inside. It was surrounded by a dome of darkness. Floating around the pillar were crystals with different colored sand in them, looking just like hour glasses. Riku and Aurora turned to look at their enemy, Young Xehanort, and summoned/activated their weapons, preparing for battle.

Suddenly, Young Xehanort warped forward, slashing at the two of them. They rolled out of the way in opposite directions. Riku surged to his feet first and dove back, slashing at Young Xehanort. Aurora, meanwhile, was circling the two of them, trying to get a clear shot. It was close to impossible though, as Xehanort countered.

The two of them slashed back and forth at each other, neither giving quarter, until finally, Xehanort landed a solid blow on Riku. As he went flying back, Aurora surged forward.

" _WATERZA!"_ she yelled. Walls of water appeared, one behind her, one behind Xehanort. She rode hers, as his pushed him closer, and she slashed at him with a blade-shaped water spell. He dodged the attack and drew his Keyblade back, ready to perform a powerful attack, when the water wall behind him crashed down on him. Aurora jumped back and away, panting.

Riku was about to surge forward, when Young Xehanort climbed to his feet. He slashed his Keyblade forward, and the light part of his blade _extended_ , becoming almost like a long whip. He slashed it towards the two of them, but Riku warped over to Aurora, appearing in front of her and summoning a dark barrier.

The battle went on like this for a bit longer, until Aurora got an idea.

"Riku!" she called, running over to him. He looked at her, and seemed to understand what she wanted. He held his Keyblade parallel to the ground. Aurora jumped up onto it, and Riku flung her upwards, into the air. He then shot over and launched Young Xehanort into the air.

" _LIGHT FIRAGA!"_ Aurora yelled, pointing down at the man.

" _DARK FIRAGA!"_ Riku yelled from where he stood under the man, his spell shooting straight up. Both spells struck the man at the same time, and exploded, sending him flying. Aurora dropped through the air, where Riku caught her and put her back on her feet.

Young Xehanort let out a slow breath. " _Time stop!"_ he yelled, and time seemed to slow to a stop around Aurora and Riku. The room darkened, making it much more eerie, and Xehanort warped to the center of the platform, glowing a bright blue. The hands on the clock face of his Keyblade started spinning counter clock wise.

"NO!" Riku yelled, realizing what he was doing. He shot forward, jumping into the air, and Aurora gasped.

Riku's Keyblade seemed to change, but that wasn't the craziest part. A flickering image of Sora appeared next to him, holding onto the same blade as him, and Aurora could _sense_ Sora there. It was faint, but he was definitely there, swinging the blade and added to Riku's power. They finished their combo and surged back.

" _Aurora, now!"_ Riku yelled, his voice overlapping with Sora's.

"Right!" Aurora replied, rushing forward. She jumped into the air, cloaking her shield in a _Faith_ spell, and threw it hard enough to spin herself at Young Xehanort. Her attack struck, and Young Xehanort fell to the ground, a blue clock face appearing, floating over the center of the platform.

Darkness covered the platform, swirling directly towards the clock. Both Aurora and Riku rushed forward and attacked the man, but it was clear Xehanort was desperate.

He was using two glowing swords now, much like Xemnas's, but blue, and his strikes were much wilder.

And their attacks weren't doing anything.

Aurora was the first to realize what they needed to do. "The clock! Riku, aim for the clock! I'll cover you!" she yelled. Riku nodded, doing as he was told. Young Xehanort instantly targeted him, but his attacks were blocked by Aurora, until finally, Riku managed to land the final blow.

The two of them almost immediately reappeared back in the throne room. They relaxed, glancing around, which Mickey ran over to them.

"Are you two okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Aurora said.

"Thanks, Mickey," Riku added.

The large bubble of time magic suddenly pulsed with darkness, before fading away fully, allowing time to resume in the room. The three of them looked around, looking up at the seated figures. Aurora shivered slightly as Gavin smirked slightly at her.

Suddenly, Mickey gasped. "Master Xehanort! We were right about you!"

Riku and Aurora quickly turned, following his gaze. The chair which once held the darkness now contained an older, balding man. He simply smirked at the king's words.

"All of this was decided," he said. "My twelve selves would welcome me here on this day, when I would return a complete person. It is the future which lies beyond my sight."

 _(Twelve selves? That means Gavin is… him now…)_ she glanced over at the ex-Attorney, before returning her attention to the eldest Xehanort.

"Why are you doing this?" Mickey demanded.

"In ancient times, people believed that light was a gift from an unseen land by the name of Kingdom Hearts. But Kingdom Hearts was safe-guarded by beings who maintained the balance of the worlds, using abilities granted to them by the very thing they protected.

"They were hunted to extinction, and the x-blade became the guardian of Kingdom Hearts. Without those beings maintaining the balance of the worlds, warriors vied for that precious light, thus beginning the 'Keyblade War'. The violent clash shattered the x-blade into twenty pieces—seven of light, and thirteen of darkness.

"And the only real Kingdom Hearts was swallowed by the darkness, never to surface again." Xehanort shifted, crossing his legs and growing more comfortable in the chair. "I once tried to create my own pure light and darkness to forge the x-blade, but the attempt ended in failure.

"In my eagerness, I had lost sight of the correct way to achieve my goal, nor had I made an effort to ensure nothing would prevent the x-blade from forming." At these words, he glanced at Aurora, who felt a shiver race down her spine. "I acted rashly. I can admit that now."

Mickey gaped at him for a moment, before growing angry. "What you did back then—your mistakes—changed the destinies of three of my friends!" he yelled. Aurora's eyes widened, and she touched the ribbon around her wrist.

 _(Wait! Are they… is he talking about Ven, Aqua, and Terra…?)_

Xehanort smirked. "Ah, but destiny is never left to chance. I merely guided them to their proper places. The broken boy who failed to be the blade… the misguided master who sacrificed herself for a friend… and the feckless youth who became my new vessel."

 _(They are talking about them!)_ Aurora gritted her teeth, her hands balling into fists.

"I couldn't find a way to save 'em," Mickey said sadly. "But I wanted to believe that their sacrifice stopped you for good. Why? How was I so blind? I should've seen it, as soon as Maleficent started gathering the seven princesses of heart."

"Your Majesty, beating yourself up now won't help anything," Aurora said, dropping to one knee beside the king and putting a hand on his shoulder. Mickey glanced up at her, anger and sadness mingling in his eyes.

"Yes. They were all my doing," Xehanort said. "I used the evil fairy to find seven pure lights for me. I created an eighth to keep under my control. And I prepared thirteen vessels to fill with pure darkness."

"But you failed. Sora stopped you in your tracks on all counts," Riku said.

"Yes, he did." Xehanort shifted his gave from the trio in front of him to Sora, who was still asleep in the chair behind them. "That dull, ordinary boy—a Keyblade wielder so unlike any I have ever seen." Xehanort continued to stare at Sora, shifting again in his chair, uncrossing his legs, as though preparing for something. "However, I have not abandoned my ambitions—the seven guardians of light and the thirteen seekers of darkness." He snickered.

"Seven guardians of light? Well, for Keyblade wielders, there's me and Riku and Sora. And my three missing friends, that's six," Mickey began, counting out on his fingers. "Then the seventh would be—" he cut himself off with a gasp. "That means… the thirteen seekers of darkness…"

"Yes, little king. Perceptive."

Aurora gasped as everything finally clicked. Her dream. The twenty paths all leading to Kingdom Hearts. Seven bathed in light, thirteen swathed in darkness. Her dream had been about _this!_ So… the path to fall to darkness… had that already happened? Was it Terra?

 _(No! It felt like a vision for something to come. Something to happen. And… this is when it'll be. So that means… Riku or the King…)_ Aurora stiffened. _(Sora!)_ her head snapped around to look at the boy sitting in the chair, oblivious to what was happening around him.

"But Sora and another on your list belong to me now," Xehanort said, confirming Aurora's fear. "And that puts you three guardians short. But worry not. All of the pieces are destined to appear. Your seven lights just like my thirteen darknesses, whose final clash will beget the prize I seek—a Healer existing or not." Aurora quickly looked at him.

 _(There's that word again! 'Healer.' What does it mean? And what does it have to do with me?)_

"The x-blade!" Mickey gasped, speaking in unison with Xehanort.

Xehanort's grin grew more crazed, and he pushed himself up, standing in his chair. With one hand behind his back, he summoned his Keyblade in the other. Aurora shuddered, realizing it was the same that Gavin had used twice on her now.

"But first, the thirteen darknesses shall be united. All the seats have been filled. And now the last vessel shall bear my heart like the rest!" He held his hand out, and Sora's chair began to rise.

The trio spun around.

"NO!" Aurora shouted as Mickey shot forward.

"Sora!" Riku yelled, right on his heels. Aurora held her hand towards the floor.

" _WATERGA!"_ she yelled. A geyser shot from the ground from an angle, right under her feet. She shot into the air, aiming right for Sora. Mickey, on the other hand, began bouncing up between two of the chairs.

Xemans appeared, pinning Mickey by his throat, while Gavin warped to Aurora's side, slamming her back to the ground. She gasped in pain as his weight landed on her chest, pinning her there.

Xehanort's Heartless suddenly appeared behind Riku, who was still on the ground, and slammed him face-first into the floor, kneeling on his back, his hand still on the boy's head.

Once Sora was level with Xehanort, he smirked, shooting a ball of darkness from the tip of his Keyblade towards the sleeping boy.

There was the sound of a chord being struck on a Sitar, and water appeared around Sora, instantly becoming steam as fire joined it, blocking the darkness.

"They made it!" Mickey cheered.

 _(No… it can't be…)_ Aurora thought, staring up at the chair, her eyes wide.

"You!" Xemnas gasped.

The steam faded. Standing on the chair, Sora under one arm, weapon in the other, was Axel, still dressed in the Organization coat. Standing on the arm of the chair next to him, holding his Sitar, dressed in his old Gavinner's shirt, was Edym.

"Axel! Demyx!" Xigbar snarled.

"Axel? Demyx? Please. The names are Lea and Edym. Got it memorized?" Lea said with a smirk. Edym's attention, on the other hand, was to where Gavin was pinning his little sister to the floor.

His expression was downright murderous.

"You're not supposed to be here," Xigbar growled.

"Promises to keep. I'll always be there to get my friends back," Lea said.

"People to protect," Edym added, his eyes narrowing. "No one hurts my family and gets away with it." The double meaning in his words were all too clear to Gavin. Not only was this about Aurora, who was still struggling under him, but this was about Phoenix and Trucy, too. Gavin simply chuckled at that, not at all scared of the ex-Nobody.

Lea snorted and looked up at Xehanort. "You had your perfect little script, but you kinda forgot to write the sequel," he taunted. He pointed his weapon at Xehanort. "No, let's find out what happens!"

"Argh! What now, you old coot!" Xigbar yelled at Xehanort. "Our time is up!"

Xehanort, who was watching with interest, smirked. One of the hooded figures suddenly jumped to his feet and lunged towards the two ex-Nobodies.

"Lea!" Edym yelled.

"I see 'em!" Lea replied, jumping back, just as the figure summoned a Claymore. With Lea down to one hand, thanks to holding Sora, Edym jumped forward, helping him block the powerful strike from the opponent's heavy weapon. The force of the attack blew the man's hood back, and Lea gasped.

"Isa…" he muttered, staring into the eyes of his once best friend.

"No… I don't think that's Isa anymore," Edym said as the two struggled against the blue-haired man's strength.

Isa's only answer was to press harder against their weapons.

"Lea…" Edym muttered.

"I know. Now!"

Both stepped back and jumped away, going in opposite directions and throwing Isa off balance.

Mickey suddenly slashed at Xemans, forcing the man to let him go, and Riku did the same to Xehanort's Heartless. Aurora gritted her teeth.

" _THUNDER!"_ she yelled. Gavin's eyes widened, and he warped away, allowing Aurora to roll to dodge her own spell that had rained down towards the two of them. She jumped to her feet and ran over to where the other four were meeting in the middle of the room. Xemnas, Xehanort's Heartless, and Gavin reappeared, floating in mid-air close to Xehanort's throne.

"Why are you here, Axel? Demyx?" Riku demanded. Aurora glanced back at her brother, before shaking her head and focusing her attention forward again. Edym smiled at that, happy to see her okay, before focusing himself.

"No, I told you our names are—Agh, whatever, Axel and Demyx, fine," Lea grumbled. "Now let's get outta here!"

"Right!" Mickey said, turning to face him.

Xehanort's Heartless suddenly summoned his shadow guardian, who swooped down.

"Riku!" Aurora cried, shoving the boy out of the way, only to be grabbed around the waist by the Guardian, who also grabbed Mickey in his other hand.

"Aurora!" Riku and Edym cried as those two, plus Lea watched her and Mickey struggle, trying to get free.

Suddenly, there was a flash from above.

" _AAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!"_

" _WHOA WHOA WHOA!"_

" _OBJECTIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOOON!"_

Three figures slammed into the Guardian, before bouncing off and landing in a heap. The Guardian shuddered, before vanishing into darkness, dropping Aurora and Mickey.

"Were we supposed to do that?" Donald groaned from the top of the pile.

"I think so…" Goofy muttered from the middle of the pile.

"Ooooh… my back…" Phoenix groaned from underneath those two.

"Goofy, Donald, Phoenix! You saved us!" Mickey said brightly.

"Nick!?" Aurora gasped, staring at her cousin.

"We are out of time," Xehanort said as his various versions began to fade. "Neither the union of light nor darkness has been achieved, and we must all return whence we came. But, the gathering of the seven and thirteen is nigh."

Aurora, Edym, and Phoenix, who was now standing, all glared up at Gavin.

"Let us finish this at the fated place, once your lights and my darknesses have joined together!" Darkness billowed away as all of them vanished.

All, but one.

"Gavin," Aurora snarled, her eyes narrowing. "Why are you still here?"

"While the others have come from the past, or from a different time, I did not. I am the _current_ version of Xehanort. And I _will_ finish my mission."

He suddenly dove down from where he was floating and grabbed Aurora. The two vanished in a burst of darkness.

…

 **A/N:** DUN DUN DUN!

I wasn't going to write the Young Xehanort battle but I wrote the Young Xehanort battle…


	10. The Eighth Light

**A/N:** Aurora's final confrontation with Kristoph! Well, for this story, at least…

…

Chapter Ten: The Eighth Light

Aurora blinked at the bright sunlight that filled the barren wasteland in which she had appeared. It was hot, and sand billowed on the breeze, making visibility poor.

She remembered darkness surrounding her, pulling her away from The World That Never Was… then she appeared here.

Alone.

"Gavin!" she yelled, searching for the man. There was no answer, and she scowled, starting forward.

After a few minutes of walking, she gasped, finding herself on a path that cut through hundreds of thousands of dead-looking Keyblades.

Gavin appeared behind her.

"This is the place where your vision took place," he said. Aurora spun around, glaring at him, her shield activated. "The vision… that I gave you."

"Of course…" Aurora breathed, her eyes widening. "I should have known. I can't see the future. But you were trying to get me to leave home…"

"Of course. At home, it was harder to control you. But when you were traveling the worlds, yanked from each right before your new friends so desperately needed you… well. It was just too easy," Gavin smirked. Then he frowned. "But then, you threw the Star Shard away and attempted to save that Half-Demon, revealing your true nature."

"What are you talking about?" Aurora demanded. Gavin shook his head.

"It's not important," he said, walking towards her. For every step forward he took, she took one backwards, keeping distance between the two of them as she studied his eyes.

"So, Kristoph Gavin isn't even in there anymore, is he? It's just Xehanort now?"

"No," Gavin said with a smirk. "Just after I went to jail, Xemnas came to me. He offered me freedom in the near future, if I gave up half of my heart. Unlike Isa, I willingly accepted him into my heart, thus I was allowed to retain my individuality. So, you see, I'm _half-_ Xehanort, half-Kristoph Gavin. Just like Xigbar."

Aurora shook her head. "You're nuts... this is crazy!"

"Hmph. It matters no longer to you. Your life ends here," he said, summoning his rapier, which billowed with purple smoke.

Remembering the last time she'd been struck with that, Aurora was extra careful to block and dodge. Unfortunately, this didn't leave her time to strike back, or cast any spells. Gavin pressed his advantage, pushing her back.

"Pathetic," he spat as she stumbled back from one of his more powerful strikes. Aurora was panting. "What happened to all of that fire you had? Your fighting spirit?" he demanded, slamming his blade again into her shield once more. Aurora staggered, before falling backwards. "Hmph. I guess it doesn't matter." He raised the blade, preparing for his final blow.

" _Dance, water, dance!"_ A tsunami like wave slammed into Gavin, throwing him back and away from Aurora. Edym rushed forward, skidding to a stop in front of Aurora.

"Don't you _dare_ touch my sister," he snarled.

"Edym!?" Aurora gasped.

"Aurora, are you okay?" Phoenix was suddenly there as well, at her side, pulling her to her feet. Aurora stared at him in shock for a moment.

"Y-yeah. What are you two doing here?" Aurora asked.

"Helping you," Phoenix said.

"Ugh," Gavin pushed himself to stand, and looked up, locking eyes with Phoenix, before noticing the little gold badge on his lapel. "Wright. I see the bar gave you your badge back. No doubt thanks to the Chief Prosecutor's influence," he said. Phoenix frowned at him.

"He just convinced me to retake the exam. It was actually thanks to Apollo when he proved your guilt and my innocence," Phoenix replied.

"Hmph. No matter. My business here today is with Aurora, not you."

"Why?" Edym demanded. "What's so special about Aurora that makes her a target?"

"Xehanort's attention was first drawn to her from the time Riku spent with her, when Sora had still been asleep. Her abilities as a Seer would be quite useful to us, but she'd loose it if she became a Nobody, so, he had her kidnapped.

"It was my job to keep her contained and controlled, and I managed to, for a while. She nearly escaped once, when Axel and Roxas had taken her from the castle, to Twilight Town. Axel stopped her, but hesitated. He was obviously about to let her go, so I sent her back to the castle." He smirked, looking at Aurora. "And you had blamed Axel since."

Aurora's eyes widened at that, her breath hitching. Guilt swarmed her. _(Oh god, Axel… I'm so sorry!)_

"After Roxas took her from the castle, she became harder to control. I managed to recapture her only after your 'death'," he glanced at Edym, "but she escaped once more."

"And you left me alone for a year. Even let me finish my schooling and gain my Attorney's Badge. Then you showed me that vision and gave me a rigged Star Shard. But Xehanort had given up a year ago with using my Seer abilities, so why now?"

"You, Aurora, were the eighth pure light, created when I ripped the darkness from your heart," Gavin explained.

"You did _what!?_ " Edym gasped, his eyes widening, while Phoenix looked away, his expression grim. Edym turned to look at Aurora, who looked a little pale. "When was this?"

"The first time I tried to escape the Castle, which resulted in that two or three-day coma. He was the one who stopped me."

"But… but then—" Edym began.

"I'm okay, Edym. I promise," she said with a smile at him. "A… friend helped me." She put a hand over the pink ribbon on her wrist. Edym's eyes narrowed, and he turned to Gavin.

"You will pay," he snarled. _"DANCE, WATER, DANCE!"_ he yelled. Aurora moved to stand next to him.

" _WATERZA!"_ she yelled. Water erupted all around them, towering over Gavin. He lowered slightly, glancing between the walls of water and the siblings.

As the walls came crashing down, Gavin warped away.

"Careful! One hit from his blade will poison you!" Aurora yelled.

"Got it!" Edym replied, moving to stand back to back with her as the two of them searched for Gavin.

" _WATERGA!"_ Aurora yelled as the man appeared to their right. He warped away again, appearing at a different spot, only for Edym to shoot water at him. Each time, he warped away, until finally, Aurora began to feel the strain on her magic.

"This is ridiculous! He's too fast!" she snapped.

"I know," Edym growled.

Power suddenly surged through Aurora, and she gasped. It felt very much like _Faith_ , but much stronger.

"I have an idea," she said, turning to Edym and shoving him over towards Phoenix.

"Wha? Aurora?" he called.

" _REFLEGA!"_ she cast, encasing the men in a powerful shield spell. She downed an Elixir, refueling her strength and magic reserves, then built up her magic, glowing with a bright gold light.

"NO!" Gavin yelled, rushing forward to stop her.

" _HOLY!"_ Aurora cried. The gold light burst from her, flooding the Keyblade Graveyard with light. The barrier protected Edym and Phoenix, but Gavin wasn't so lucky. He cried in pain as the light washed over him, before fading into black smoke, and vanishing.

As the light faded, so did the _Reflect_ spell from around Edym and Phoenix. Aurora collapsed to her hands and knees, having put every ounce of her magic into that final attack.

"Aurora!" the two of them called, running over to her. Edym dropped to his knees next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Edym!" she gasped, clinging to him. Phoenix smiled, watching as the siblings had a tear filled reunion. Edym was trying to make sure she was okay, while Aurora was yelling at him for letting Sora end him last year. She finally fell quiet, and Edym pulled back slightly, looking down at her.

"I am so proud of you," he finally said. Aurora looked up at him.

"Hm?"

"Before I had my heart taken… you were so shy. Meek. Fragile. But now look at you. Not only are you a Defense Attorney," he grinned, tapping the badge pinned to her hoody, "but you're so powerful and strong, too. It'd be a mistake to call you weak now," he said. Aurora smiled, before looking down, sadness overtaking her features.

"But I am," she whispered.

"What do you mean?" he asked, shocked.

"The reason Gavin was able to manipulate me so much… was because he made me believe I was useless. Unable to help my friends. And… he's right. I've let so many people down because of him. Harry and Ron and Hermione, the Restoration Committee, team RWBY and Ozpin… Yui…" Her eyes swam with tears as she thought back to the little girl who she was unable to save.

Edym wrapped his arms around her once more, holding her tight to his chest.

"You made a mistake, Aurora. That doesn't make you fragile or weak. It makes you _human_ ," he said. Aurora stayed quiet, closing her eyes and burrowing into his chest once more. Phoenix sighed softly, before looking up.

"Maybe we should head back to Yen Sid's," he suggested. He hated breaking up such a tender moment, but he knew the others would probably be worrying. Riku had been completely torn between taking Sora back to the tower and coming with them to find Aurora (it had taken Lea convincing him that Edym could handle finding his own sister for Riku to return to the Tower).

"Right," Edym said, standing and pulling Aurora up. She stayed leaning against him as he opened a portal, and the three stepped through.

…

 **A/N:** Aurora FINALLY learns that Axel never betrayed her. Yay! Also, where the vision came from, and more about Kristanort! Also, sibling reunion, yay!


	11. Moving Forward

**A/N:** Still a few chapters left to go! But maybe I'll finish today? Hopefully?

…

Chapter Eleven: Moving Forward

Aurora and Edym sat on the floor, leaning against the wall of Master Yen Sid's tower. Since they'd been reunited, they hadn't moved far from one another. Lea, meanwhile, was leaning against a bookshelf, while Phoenix sat in a chair Yen Sid had magic'd up for him.

Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey were watching Sora, who was still asleep, leaning against the wall next to the windows.

The worry in the room was dense. No one knew if Sora would awaken.

"Seven lights… Thirteen darknesses… Master Xehanort has been busy," Yen Sid, who sat at his desk, said.

Aurora looked up at Sora, before drawing her knees closer to her chest. _(This couldn't have been what you meant… was it?)_ she thought, her left hand grasping the ribbon around her right wrist.

Donald went to say something, but Goofy stopped him, shaking his head.

"Aw, Sora. Don't tell me your heart's sleeping, too," Mickey said.

"No, Mickey. This affliction is not the same," Yen Sid said, turning slightly to look at his ex-apprentice.

"Can we do anything for him?" Riku asked. Aurora sat up slightly, her eyes widening.

"Aurora?" Edym asked.

"On one of the worlds I was on, I… I began _healing_ someone's heart. Perhaps…" She stood, walking over to Sora and kneeling next to the boy.

"It will not work, Aurora," Yen Sid said, causing her to stop, and look at him. "In the Mark of Mastery exam, Sora and Riku were to unlock seven Sleeping Keyholes. By doing so, they would awaken those worlds from their prison of slumber, and also acquire the power to free a heart from its sleep. Riku, _you_ unlocked those Keyholes within Sora's dreams. Therefore, it stands to reason that you now have the power to awaken Sora's heart," Yen Sid explained. Aurora sat back on her heels, and looked up at her boyfriend.

"You want him to dive back into Sora's sleep?" Mickey demanded. "But Master, Sora's heart is down in the darkest abyss. If Riku's not careful he might just get trapped down there with him." Yen Sid stood, walking over to them. "No, I'll go instead," Mickey decided.

"But… if what Master Yen Sid said is the truth… Riku stands the better chance," Aurora said. Everyone looked at her in surprise, and Aurora turned to look at the sleeping boy. "You're right, Your Majesty. Sora's heart _is_ deep within the darkness. But Riku spent a lot of time in both Sora's dreams _and_ the darkness. He's built a resistance to the darkness." Aurora looked up at Riku. "So, he has the best chance." Riku smiled, giving her a small nod.

"Very wise, Aurora," Yen Sid said. Riku glanced around, looking at everyone, before turning to his best friend, and smiling slightly.

"Mickey… I really appreciate it," he said, turning to the king. "But… I have to do this."

"Riku…" Mickey muttered, worried.

"Look at his face," Riku said, turning back to Sora. "Sleeping like nothing's wrong—like there's nothing to even worry about."

Aurora glanced down at Sora again, and giggled.

"He really does look peaceful, huh?" she said. Riku snickered, nodding.

"He's always been like that," Riku said. "The three of us would agree to work on the raft, and then this guy would go take a nap on the beach! You see, it's my job to keep him on his toes. Besides, what kind of Keyblade Master sleeps through his test?" he added. Aurora giggled more at that, shaking her head.

"To be honest, you did, too," she said. Riku stuck his tongue out at her, making her laugh, before he looked back at Sora.

"I'm doing it for me, too," he added, growing serious. "Sora saved me once. And… I heard him call my name. He needs me."

"Hm… there's something real strong that binds us to each other," Mickey said, glancing at Aurora to include her in the group. He turned to look at Riku. "Even in the darkness, you can reach him. All you gotta do is follow that connection!"

"Gee, we're all connected to Sora!" Goofy said brightly.

"You said it!" Donald added.

"And if the darkness gets ya, I promise I'll bail you out," Lea said.

"Not without back up he won't," Aurora added. Edym, who walked over and was standing behind his sister, nodded with a grin.

"Tch, whatever you two. 'Dark Rescue' is _my_ middle name," the ginger said with a smirk.

"Guys, thank you. Sora and I will be back soon" Riku said, standing straight up. He bowed to Master Yen Sid, before moving a bit away from Sora and summoning his Keyblade.

Aurora stood and walked over to him, giving Riku a tight hug.

"Be careful in there," she said.

"I will be," Riku replied, giving her a sweet, gentle kiss. She then moved, stepping back and to the side, to allow Riku a clean shot. He pointed Way To Dawn at Sora, and both boys began to glow, before a sphere appeared in front of Sora. Inside was clouded with black and purple smoke.

The light grew brighter, and Riku vanished. Aurora closed her eyes, watching as the path to dawn that symbolized Riku's heart was super imposed over the beach that represented Sora's.

All was quiet for a moment, before Yen Sid sighed, siting once more. "Aurora."

"Yes, Master Yen Sid?" she asked.

"May I see that locket of yours?" he asked. Aurora moved so that she was in front of Yen Sid's desk, and hesitated, before pulling it off, handing it to the old wizard.

"What is it?" she asked, watching as Yen Sid studied the outside of it.

"I had noticed Riku was wearing it's twin, and I had sensed magic coming from it. You and Riku are connected, corrected?" he asked.

"Well… yes. Our hearts connected when we first met. Then… after the Organization's defeat last year…" she blushed slightly. "We shared a Paopu fruit."

"I see," Yen Sid said with a smile, opening the locket and seeing the picture inside, the one of Aurora kissing Riku's cheek. Aurora blushed more at that, looking away, as the wizard's face softened. He closed the locket and handed it back to her. "These two lockets contain powerful magic. It appears, when one is in trouble, it will lead it's wearer as close as possible to the other locket wearer. The connection you share with Riku has made that spell more powerful, allowing it to break the borders between the worlds, much like a Star Shard."

"Really?" Aurora asked, her eyes widening. "But… how?"

"Wait! You bought those from a shop in Kurain Village, right?" Phoenix suddenly asked. Aurora nodded.

"Yeah. Maya had suggested them, saying it'll always keep him close," she said. Phoenix chuckled.

"Then it's probably some kind of spiritual magic. She told me a lot of their authentic wares comes straight from Japan and the Kingdom of Khura'in," he said. Yen Sid nodded.

"It does feel more like a spiritual spell, rather than any other kind of magic," he agreed. Aurora looked down at the locket, and smiled warmly, before clipping it back to her choker.

"Well, then… I guess I have to thank Maya when I get home then," she said warmly.

Warmth suddenly washed over Aurora, and she turned, looking over at where Sora lay. The light in his heart was shining bright once again. Aurora closed her eyes, and smiled when seeing Sora's, as well as Roxas's, Ventus's, and Xion's were all back to normal.

In a shower of light, Riku appeared, laying on the ground next to Sora, who was beginning to awake.

Riku hadn't stirred though.

"Master…" Aurora began, getting worried.

"Riku will awake shortly. He is just taking care of some unfinished business, I'm sure," Yen Sid said. Aurora nodded, walking over and kneeling next to Riku to wait.

…

"What's this?" Riku wondered out loud, pulling a sealed bottle from the water that lapped at his feet. He was standing on the beach of Destiny Islands, at sunset. This is where he'd been transported after freeing Sora from that dark armor and locking a Keyhole in his heart.

Then he'd been asked questions by Roxas, a boy who looked just like Roxas, and a girl who seemed very familiar.

Now, he was finding this bottle.

"You were not the visitor I expected," a familiar voice said from behind. Riku glanced over his shoulder, before turning fully, gasping slightly at the man before him.

"DiZ!" he gasped, before catching himself. "I mean… Ansem the Wise. What are you doing here?"

"Perhaps I wanted to atone for events of the past, even if no apology can undo the harm I have wrought," Ansem said, walking down to the water, before stopping. "I felt… that I ought to leave at least something behind. So I digitized myself and my research, and hid them within Sora."

Riku glanced down at the bottle in his hand.

"So this is… data?" he asked, looking back up at the man.

"Yes. A clue, I hope, to finding yourselves or your lost friends in your hour of need. The heart has always been so quick to grow. Each exposure to light, to the natural world, to other people, shapes this most malleable part inside of us. Nobodies are not different from us in that manner…"

"Sora was the only one able to return to his human form without destroying his Nobody. That is a statement to the love in his heart for other people, and the bonds that tie them together. Perhaps… he has the power to bring back the hearts and existences of those connected to him—to recreate people we thought were lost to us forever. But… those people will not be the same without a Healer to repair and balance the light and dark within their hearts," Ansem explained.

"A Healer… Xehanort mentioned Healers, too," Riku said.

"Remember when you asked I allow young Aurora to be sent home? I told you it was impossible, that she'd be in more danger at home, and that her destiny is intertwined with Sora's, all thanks to her heart connecting to one close to Sora's," Ansem reminded him, glancing at the young man. Riku looked away, but nodded.

"Like everyone else, Aurora has a role she will play. Aurora is a Healer."

"But… what does that mean? What are Healers?" Riku asked.

"They are exceedingly rare now, but Healers existed long ago, before the time of Keyblades and the Keyblade Wars. There were many Healers at that time, and they would mend damaged hearts, bringing a balance between light and darkness to not just the hearts, but the world overall. They had great magic, and were known as Harbingers of Peace. It was said their powers were granted to them by Kingdom Hearts itself.

"One day, a man of darkness, whose name has been lost to the pages of history, gathered together a group of like-minded individuals, and they began to hunt and destroy Healers. They wanted to use the light of Kingdom Hearts for their own plans, and had to rid the world of the Healers to do so. One by one, the Healers fell to these beings of darkness, until finally, they were completely wiped out. Then, the group moved on Kingdom Hearts.

"In order to protect itself, Kingdom Hearts locked itself away, and granted the x-blade onto an individual pure of heart and mind. The wielder of the x-blade named it such, to mark the end of the Era of Healers. He defeated the beings of darkness.

"But then, as you know, the Keyblade Wars began. Without the Healers to safe-guard the balance of the world, everyone wanted the light for themselves, and the worlds fell to darkness.

"Every so often, Kingdom Hearts will grant the abilities of a Healer onto an individual, giving them great potential for magic as well. Unfortunately, each time this happens, darkness would rise, once more, and ravage the new Healer and their family. It is no coincidence that Aurora's older brother lost his heart and nearly his individuality," Ansem explained.

"But then, Aurora met you, and her heart connected with yours, connecting her with Sora as well. By doing this, you did not put her in more danger. You _saved_ her from the dark fate she and her family surly would have fallen to."

"I… oh…" Riku muttered, unsure of what to say.

"Sora will have the power to bring back those connected to him, but it'll be Aurora's power that'll heal their damaged hearts. She will be the key in that." Ansem smiled slightly. "The rest is in there," he added.

Riku glanced down at the bottle in his hand, before smiling. "Alright. Thanks. Thank you," he said.

"Of course. Now why is it that you are here?" Ansem asked.

"Uh… I kinda need to wake Sora up," Riku said. Ansem turned to look at him.

"Don't tell me he's gone to sleep again?" he asked.

"Yeah. What'll I do with him?" Riku replied with a chuckle.

"What, indeed?" the older man said, and the two of them laughed.

"Never fear. Sora is safe," Ansem said.

"Huh?" Riku asked.

"He's not here. You see, by defeating the Nightmare imprisoning Sora, you freed him."

Riku gasped. "You mean… the Sora wrapped in that black phantom?"

"Then, you came here, and you were questioned by three young people. That was the final key to awaken him. Sora is awake. You can go home now," Ansem explained. Riku smiled warmly.

"Really? Thank you."

He turned to the water and summoned Kingdom Key, which he had received at the end of the last battle. He pointed it out over the water, and a light flashed in the sky, forming a Keyhole. He unlocked it in a flash of light, and began to float in the air, with Ansem watching him.

"Young man! I do not believe you ever told me your name," Ansem requested.

Riku turned to him, confused for a moment, before letting out a soft breath, remember how he had told him his name was Ansem the last time he'd seen him.

"It's Riku," he said with a smile, before floating away.

…

Aurora reached forward, gently pushing Riku's bangs out of his face. Edym was sitting on the ground next to her, his arm over her shoulder supportively, while Mickey and Yen Sid stood on Riku's other side. Lea was sitting on a chair backwards, his arms resting on the back, at Riku's head.

"Mmm…" Riku mumbled, turning his face into Aurora's hand, before opening his eyes.

"Riku!" Aurora said warmly.

He blinked, looking up to see those five looking down at him. Then his eyes widened, and he shot up.

"Sora!" he yelled.

"Hey, Donald! Come on, you're hogging it all!" Riku looked over to see the back of Sora, standing at a table. Goofy, Donald, and Phoenix were seated at the table, and it was overflowing with sweets and tea cups.

"Oh, calm down, Sora, and drink your tea," Donald replied.

"Gawrsh, it sure is yummy!" Goofy said.

"Hm… I think I like coffee better," Phoenix muttered, looking into his tea cup.

"Hey!" Riku snapped, getting all four of their attention. Sora quickly turned, and Aurora had to bury her face in her hands to contain laughter.

Sora was wearing a pointed party hat and a pair of funny-face glasses. _(Where did he even get those? And WHY!?)_ Aurora thought as the younger boy pulled them off.

"Riku…" Sora said, sounding relieved. "Your safe! Riku!" Aurora moved away from her boyfriend just in time to dodge Sora's flying-tackle hug. Riku's arm's flailed as he tried to keep his balance.

"Wait," he finally said once he had his balance, causing Sora to pull back a little. "Haven't we got this backwards? And why are you having a tea party?" he demanded.

"Your safe, Riku!" Sora yelled, hugging him again. Riku put a hand to his head, like he was getting a headache.

"Ugh. Never mind." He looked at the boy again. "You okay? Feeling all right?" he asked. Sora sat back, and grinned at Riku.

"Yeah, I've never been better," he said. Aurora shivered, goosebumps springing up along her arms, while Phoenix's eyes narrowed slightly, the Magatama in his pocket glowing slightly. The cousins glanced at each other, realizing what Sora was doing.

 _(He's not okay… but he's hiding it. That's probably the reason for the tea party and the get up and his over-reaction to Riku being okay…)_ Aurora thought.

"I was watching what was going on in my dream," Sora continued. "And I could hear your voice the whole time. Thanks, Riku." He then turned to love at everyone. "Thanks, everybody!"

Sora glanced around, before suddenly looking up at Yen Sid. "Oh yeah! Did we pass the test?" he asked excitedly.

Yen Sid smiled, but Aurora could see some sadness behind it.

"You performed truly admirably, both of you," he said.

The boys grinned at each other, before jumping up, standing at attention in front of Yen Sid's desk.

Lea took his place leaning against the bookshelf again, while Mickey, Donald, and Goofy lined up on one side of the desk, Aurora, Phoenix, and Edym on the other side. Yen Sid sat in his chair, and cleared his throat.

"More than anything, I am grateful to have you both, and Aurora as well, back from Xehanort's deception unharmed. And I am grateful to Lea, Edym, and Phoenix, whose spontaneous actions turned the tides." Lea scoffed slightly, while Phoenix gave a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. Edym simply grinned.

"I am also deeply sorry, for failing to perceive the danger, and throwing you headlong into a perilous test." He closed his eyes for a few moments, before looking back at the two boys. "This experience has revealed many hidden truths, and we must gird ourselves for the great clash with darkness that lies before us. I believe we need a new Keyblade Master. One with a new kind of power."

 _(Just… one?)_ Aurora thought as she turned to look at the boys.

"Sora and Riku, you both deserve the honor. However, one of you braved the realm of sleep again to unlock the final Keyhole, and save a friend. Riku." He turned to the silver haired boy. "I name you our new true Keyblade Master."

Neither boy reacted for a moment. Then, Sora's eyes grew wide, and he grinned, before turning to his friend.

"Way to go, Riku!" he cheered, throwing his arm over the boy's shoulders. Riku was forced to crouch slightly, due to the difference in his and Sora's heights.

"Y-yeah…?" he muttered, sounding in shock. Aurora almost didn't hear him over Sora's ecstatic laughter.

"I knew you were gonna pass with flying colors," Sora said brightly. "This is just so awesome!"

"Gee, Sora, you're kinda acting like it's you who passed," Goofy said.

"I told you Sora still needed some practice," Donald said.

"Riku, you okay?" Aurora asked. He blinked and looked up at her, nodding, while Sora bickered with Donald.

Riku then turned to Yen Sid. "Really? I'm a Keyblade Master?" he asked. He glanced at Sora, who nodded, letting him go. Now that he seemed to be overcoming his shock, Aurora tackled him in a hug.

"Whoa!" he cried, stumbling slightly.

"I'm so proud of you!" she cheered as the Royal entourage walked over.

"Congratulations, Riku!" Mickey said as Aurora moved to Riku's side, keeping her arm around his waist.

Riku let out a hesitant chuckle, before smiling warmly.

"Thank you, Mickey," he said. He then looked around at everyone. "I owe it to my friends," he added, a smile breaking out across his face.

"Ah, I'll catch up with ya in no time, flat," Axel said.

"What!? You wanna be a Keyblade Master?" Sora asked, shocked.

"Yeah. I mean, I came here to learn how to wield one," Lea admitted.

"Whaaaaaaat!?" Aurora and Edym gasped in shock.

"YOU!?" Riku and Sora said at the same time.

"Hey, thanks for the vote of confidence," Lea replied sarcastically. "You know, I was gonna come swooping in, Keyblade in hand! But I just couldn't get mine to materialize," he sighed, looking at his hand. "Must be in the snap of the wrist or something," he said, trying the same hand motion most of the Keyblade wielders used to summon their blades.

In a blaze of fire, a Keyblade appeared in his hand. His eyes widened, and he let out a tiny "oh."

The hand guard was one of his chakarams, while the blade looked to be made of flames, which curled at the tip into the blade's teeth. Hanging from the chain was a tiny version of the handguard.

"WHOA!" Even Master Yen Sid stood from his chair in shock.

Once everything had calmed down, Yen Sid turned to Aurora.

"And you, Aurora? What will you do now, that you know what it is you truly are?" he asked. Aurora looked up at him, before looking down.

"This whole time… I've been trying to follow my heart. That's what's worked for everyone else, and lead them to where they're meant to be," she said, stepping forward. She glanced back, looking between Phoenix and Edym, then Riku and Sora. "The issue is… my heart doesn't know what it wants. I've worked so hard to earn my attorney's badge, and I love standing in court with my cousin and everyone else at the Wright Anything Agency. But… I also love Riku, and as a Healer, it is my duty to heal damaged hearts, and bring the worlds back into balance once again. My heart's undecided." Aurora closed her eyes, remembering her time in the Wizarding World, and what the Mirror of Erised had shown her. _(Erised. Now I get it. It's Desire, spelled backwards…)_ she thought. She then opened her eyes, looking at Master Yen Sid.

"I think… what I want the most… is to help people. Be it by standing in the court room, healing their damaged heart, or protecting them from the creatures of darkness. So, maybe… I need to forge a new path. Master Yen Sid…" She stepped forward and bowed to the older man. "If you'll have me, I would like to become your apprentice. I've been told by Merlin and many other wizards that I have great potential for magic. So… please. I'd like to learn more," she said.

"Whaaaaat!?" everyone in the room, minus Yen Sid and Aurora, gasped, staring at the girl in shock.

Yen Sid stroked his beard, studying the girl.

"Merlin and the others were correct. You do have a great potential for magic. I have heard from Mickey and your friends how powerful you are, and I must say, I am quite impressed with how much you've learned, considering you are largely self-taught." Yen Sid closed his eyes in thought for a moment, before nodding. "Alright, Aurora. I will accept you as my apprentice. But know this; Magic is not an easy road. It is fraught with challenges. And you are simply prolonging the choice you will eventually have to make."

"I know. Thank you, Master," Aurora said, bowing to the man.

…

"So… Aurora. Are you going to tell us _any_ thing about what happened when we last visited The Legal Age? You all just kind of… rushed us out," Sora said as he, Aurora, Riku, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy walked down the stairs of the tower. Edym and Phoenix had returned to The Legal Age, to explain what was happening to her parents, before Edym joined Lea for training with Merlin (not Keyblade training, but he did want to become a stronger fighter).

"Nope. Sorry, Sky Boy. You'll just have to be forever curious," Aurora said with a grin.

"What? Hey, come on! I thought the other one was Sky Boy!" Sora complained.

"You're _all_ Sky Boy to me," Aurora grinned, ruffling the pouting boy's head. Riku laughed at that, shaking his head, while Mickey, Donald, and Goofy all looked confused.

Finally, they reached the door, and Sora stretched, walking ahead of the others.

"Do ya have to go?" Donald asked.

"Well… I did doze off… I just have some stuff to take care of," Sora said.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Aurora asked.

"Yeah. I won't be long," Sora said, not turning to look at the group.

"Be careful," Mickey said.

"Very careful," Riku added. Sora grinned, looking over his shoulder.

"Right. See you soon." He summoned his Keyblade, and a Keyhole appeared in midair. Light shone from it as Sora unlocked it, and he disappeared.

…

After Sora left, Yen Sid sent Riku on a mystery errand. Donald and Goofy were waiting outside for their friend, and Yen Sid had called his former apprentice and his newest one to his office.

"As my apprentice, Aurora, I will grant you new clothes, and objects that will help you in your studies," he said, waving his hand. A neat pile of clothes appeared on the corner of his desk, topped by a thick, leather-bound book, and a gold crescent moon pendant. "You may change in the side room."

"Yes, Master Yen Sid," Aurora said, taking the bundle and slipping into the side room and changed.

The outfit consisted of a black, quarter sleeved tunic and plain black slacks. She retained her work boots, choker, wrist band, ribbon and ring, and had pinned her attorney's badge to the collar of her shirt. Over all of this was an emerald green cloak hemmed in gold. Crescent moons and stars were embroidered all over the cloak in gold and silver shiny thread, and the interior of the cloak, as well as the hood, was made of silver silk. Aurora had decided to let her hair down, which had grown to a few inches past her shoulder, and she wore the golden Crescent Moon pendant around her neck, hung from a silver chain. The chain was long enough that the moon hung level with her stomach.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up the book and stepped back into the office. Yen Sid nodded with a smile, before growing serious.

"The Keyblade Wars of yore plunged the true Kingdom Hearts into darkness, and the x-blade was shattered," Yen Sid said, speaking to both his former apprentice and his newest one. Mickey crossed his arms, while Aurora listened carefully. "But the light still shining in the hearts of children rebuilt the world that we know today. And the light from the broken x-blade was divided into seven, to protect the number of natural pure hearts in the world."

"Seven pure lights," Mickey said.

"The Princesses of Heart?" Aurora asked.

"Indeed," Yen Sid nodded. "Those seven pure hearts form the very source of all light in the world. If they are lost, the world will again give way to shadow. Thus, even if we deliberately avoid finding our seven lights to avert another Keyblade War, Xehanort will still target the seven princesses in order to forge the x-blade."

"So… there's gonna be a clash between seven lights and thirteen darknesses… and there's nothing we can do to avoid triggering the Keyblade War?" Mickey asked.

"Wait, but… Xehanort seemed to think my existence as a Healer a threat to his plan. Does that mean the x-blade can't be formed, so long as I'm alive?" Aurora asked. Yen Sid looked at her.

"Your existence means the x-blade cannot be formed but by the proper means," Yen Sid explained. "But even so, you have the power to bring balance back to the worlds, and if there is balance, the blade will not be formed." He then turned and looked at Mickey. "As for your question, to protect the seven pure hearts, we will need seven lights strong enough to stand against the thirteen darknesses."

"So we're missing one guardian of light," Mickey said thoughtfully.

Just then, the door opened, and the two turned towards it.

"Riku!" Aurora said brightly.

"You're back," Mickey added.

"That's right," Riku said with a smile, before turning to the wizard. "Master Yen Sid, I brought you the 'guest' you asked for but…" he glanced back. "You never said why."

"Huh?" Mickey asked.

"You!" Aurora said in delight, darting over as the 'guest' walked in. She threw her arms around the newcomer, giving them a tight hug. The newcomer grinned brightly, hugging her back.

"I have come to learn that you, too, can wield a Keyblade," Yen Sid said once Aurora had let the newcomer go. "I am glad you are here, Kairi."

…

 **A/N:** Errr… Sorry if most of this seems like an info dump?

You cannot convince me Sora was okay after everything he'd been through he was acting a little over the top there, even for Sora.


	12. The Road to War

**A/N:** Okay guys, as you probably figured out, the DDD segment of the story is over. This is the _0.2 Birth By Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage_ part. It doesn't follow Aqua in the dark, but sets this up for KHIII/THIII. Then the Epilogue will be after this.

Now, ONWARDS!

…

Chapter Twelve: The Road to War

Once the four had lined up in front of Yen Sid, the old master explained to Kairi what had happened in the exam. She was understandably worried about Sora, but Riku and Aurora managed to convince her that he was okay, and had stepped out to take care of something.

Master Yen Sid sighed.

"The great battle with Xehanort is almost upon us. As you know, we must take action to keep the seven pure lights safe, and thus we must hasten to assemble the seven guardians of light." He closed his eyes for a moment, before nodding slightly to himself. "It is time to return to our world the three Keyblade wielders we lost over a decade ago. Ventus—" Aurora jumped slightly at the boy's name "-Terra, and Aqua must be saved from their sad end, for they have more to achieve."

Aurora bit the inside of her cheek, thinking about Ventus specifically. She _knew_ where he was. She had actually sensed him that one time…

"Following their first battle with Xehanort, Ventus's heart refused to awaken, and so Aqua found a safe location to conceal him. But when she set off in search for her other missing friend, Terra, she fell to a place from which there is no return without outside help."

The wizard turned to look at his former apprentice, and Mickey nodded, turning to the other three.

"I saw her. In the realm of darkness," he admitted.

From there, he began to explain. Aurora and Kairi had known he found his way into the Realm of Darkness, but it was only Riku and Yen Sid that knew _why_ , so he began with that: in order to close the Door to Darkness, both the Keyblade of the Light Realm, Kingdom Key, and the Keyblade of the Dark Realm, Kingdom Key D, were needed. Sora already held the Kingdom Key and was in the light realm, so Mickey went to the Dark Realm to find Kingdom Key D.

There, he found Aqua, who had been wondering the Dark Realm for about ten years at that point. Because time was irrelevant in that realm, she hadn't aged, nor did she know how long it had been. She hadn't even known the name of the Heartless, despite fighting them near constantly for ten years.

She had nearly given in to the dark when he'd found her. Thankfully, a few encouraging words, and thoughts of Terra and Ven, and she got her fight back.

After wondering the dark for a while, they came across the dark side of Destiny Islands, which Mickey realized must hold the dark counterpart of Sora's Keyblade.

They had managed to find both the key, and the door. They even saw Riku running for the door in the distance… right before a wave of Heartless attacked, aiming right for him.

At the last minute, Aqua saved Riku, turning the Heartless' wrath onto her. The last Mickey had seen of the blue haired Keyblade Master… she was being dragged away by them.

Riku stood as still as a rock next to Aurora, and she couldn't blame him. This was probably the first he heard of this, and the woman had saved his life…

Mickey suddenly jumped slightly, turning his head away. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke.

"I thought… I heard her voice in the distance…" he muttered.

"She sacrificed herself to save me?" Riku finally spoke. He turned to the king, his face angry. "Why did you keep it from me for so long?" he demanded.

Kairi and Aurora glanced between the two, stepping back and out from in between them.

"I had to respect her choice," Mickey said.

"What about us?" Riku asked. "You could have given us a choice. We could have gone and helped her."

"I know," Mickey said, bowing his head.

"Do not be rash, Riku," Yen Sid said. "As Mickey told you clearly in his story, reaching the realm of darkness the first time was not a simple task. And even if we had found a way back in, regrettably, none of us possessed the necessary mean to get Aqua back out safely. So I forbade Mickey from telling you, let alone going after her."

"Why keep it secret?" Riku asked.

"That much is obvious. If not you, then certainly Sora would have staged a reckless attempt at rescue," the wizard said. Aurora looked to the side, changing her snort into a cough. Kairi caught her eye, and both girls grinned.

Riku, meanwhile, let out a defeated sigh at that.

"But, now we can help Aqua," Mickey said. He turned to Riku. "You and I—we're gonna go find her!"

"Yeah! Count me in!" Riku said. Kairi finally stepped forward, staring at her old friend.

"Who's this new Riku and where's the old one?" she asked.

"New me?" Riku asked. Aurora giggled.

"Yeah. You're beginning to sound like Sora," Aurora pointed out, while Kairi giggled. Riku looked scandalized, until seeing the teasing grin on his girlfriend's face.

"Should I be flattered?" he asked cautiously. "I tried too hard to be the role model for those two." He motioned to Kairi with his thumb. "It's more fun to just listen to my heart. It lead me to you," he added, glancing at Aurora.

"And your heart _is_ Sora-esque," she added, to which he chuckled.

"Well, we still like you," Kairi said with a smile. Aurora took a deep breath, before getting serious and stepping forward.

"Master. Ventus might… not wake up until Aqua is found, but I do know where he is," she admitted.

"WHAAAT!?" Riku, Mickey, and Kairi all exclaimed from behind her. Yen Sid's eyes widened.

"You do?" he asked.

"Yes. When the Organization kidnapped me, they wanted to use my abilities to find something in Castle Oblivion. I knew, whatever it was, I shouldn't let them find it, so… I was constantly misleading them."

"That must have been dangerous for you," Yen Sid said.

"Yes and no. The person who took me to Castle Oblivion never turned me in," she said with a smile, before growing serious once more. "I didn't know, at first, what they – what _Xemnas_ – was hunting for, until I had… a dream, I guess you can call it. Xemnas was hunting for Ventus. The safe place Aqua took him was Castle Oblivion. And… I sensed him there."

Mickey gasped. "Of course!" That explains why the Organization split their numbers between there and The World That Never Was!" he gasped. Aurora nodded.

"Well, then. I will start setting up protective spells around the castle. I do not believe Ventus will awaken until both Sora and Aqua are with him," he said. Aurora nodded, feeling a little better about that. She stepped back, and Kairi stepped forward.

"Master, I came here because I wanted to help somehow, and you mentioned my ability to wield a Keyblade. What can I do?" she asked.

"I have entrusted the wizard Merlin to oversee the training for our new Keyblade wielders, yourself and Lea, as well as another wishing to fight the dark, Edym."

"Lea? Edym?" Kairi asked.

"Edym's my brother. Not a Keyblade wielder," Aurora said.

"And by Lea, he means Axel!" Mickey added brightly.

"What!?" Kairi gasped, and Aurora belatedly remembered that Axel had once kidnapped her.

"Aw, he's a regular person now. He even helped Edym save Sora for us. You can trust him!" Mickey explained. Unsure, Kairi turned to Riku and Aurora, who both nodded and smiled. She then frowned and looked at Aurora.

"You once told me Axel betrayed you by sending you back to that prison of a castle," she accused. Aurora wrapped her arms around herself with a small sigh.

"I was wrong. It was someone else, who made it look like Axel did it. I only just found out recently."

"Oh."

At that point, Mickey started walking towards the door. "C'mon, Riku. It's time for us to go. First, we gotta find the entrance to the realm of darkness," he said. Riku smiled, taking Aurora's hand. The two planned to say goodbye in the hall.

"Mickey, take these along with you. The three good fairies asked that you be presented with them," Yen Sid said, conjuring two suitcases onto the corner of his desk.

 _(That's so cool!)_ Aurora thought.

"They are new vestments which will shield the both of you from the darkness."

"Thank you, Master," Riku and Mickey said, bowing to Yen Sid. The group then started towards the door.

"Aurora. Once you have said your goodbyes, please return here," Yen Sid called after her.

"Yes, Master!" she called back, closing the study door after her. Kairi and Mickey went on ahead, giving Aurora and Riku privacy. Riku placed his suitcase on the floor, and wrapped his arms around Aurora.

"Be careful. Please," Aurora said, before voice muffled from being smooshed into his chest.

"You, too. I don't know what Master Yen Sid is going to have you doing, but… well, at this point, I know it's not going to be too safe," Riku sighed. Aurora smiled, pulling back to look up at him.

"Hey. I've faced Blackquill in court _twice_ now. I think I got this," she said confidently.

"'Blackquill'?" Riku asked.

"Oh. Right," Aurora giggled, before stretching up and kissing him. Riku cupped the back of her head, kissing her deeply back. Finally, the two pulled away.

"I…" Aurora hesitated, before realizing this might very well be the last time she sees him. She hugged him tightly, smooshing her face into his chest once more. "I love you," she whispered, her voice muffled. Riku heard it though, and he stiffened slightly, before giving her a tight squeeze.

"I love you, too."

…

When Aurora reentered Yen Sid's study, Donald and Goofy were waiting outside the door. The old wizard asked them to continue waiting for Sora, then looked at Aurora.

"Based on the information Ansem the Wise gave Riku… I believe it would be best for you to join Sora, Donald, and Goofy on this next adventure," he said. Aurora stood up a little straighter. "Very recently, Mickey learned that Sora must bring back not just the three wielders we lost so long ago, but also those who are locked within Sora's heart. Not only will he have to face much pain, but those hearts may be damaged."

"And according to Ansem, my Healer abilities will help with that," Aurora said, remembering what Riku had said.

"Yes. The book I have given you is magically connected to one of my own. In this, you can write new spells as you learn them. New lessons, from myself, will appear in it, so that I may begin to teach you, and you will be able to write to me in that book," Yen Sid said, making a matching book appear on the desk in front of him. Aurora touched the bag slung over her shoulder, making sure the book was still there. The wizard then pointed to the crescent moon charm hanging around her neck. "That charm will allow me to magically track you, just so that we may avoid another incident like this one."

"Thank you, Master," Aurora said, bowing. She was ecstatic. _(This will_ definitely _let me keep my promise now!)_ she thought, touching the ribbon around her wrist.

"Okay! Start talking!" Donald's voice yelled from outside the door, muffled by the thick wood.

"You were gone a long time. What were ya doin'?" Goofy's voice asked.

"Secret!" Sora's voice said with a laugh. The door then opened, causing Aurora to turn to it.

"I'm back!" the rambunctious sixteen-year-old announced. He then looked around. "Huh? Wha?" he muttered as Donald closed the door. Aurora grinned slightly, moving to the side of the room. "Just us and Aurora?"

"The others all had important work to do. So I sent them on their way," Yen Sid said.

"That's great. They coulda said good-bye," Sora pouted.

"You took too long, Sky Boy," Aurora said. _(I'm really gonna have to thank Blackquill for that nickname…)_ she thought.

"So it's your fault you missed them!" Donald added. Aurora grinned. It wasn't often she was on the same side as the duck.

"It is not. I just like to say good-bye to all my friends," Sora said.

"Then do it faster!" Donald yelled. Aurora giggled slightly at them.

"I'm here now, right?" Sora demanded, bending down to be eye-level with Donald.

"That doesn't change the fact you missed the others," Aurora said. Sora huffed, and crossed his arms.

"Well, then, if everyone had important work to do, why are you still here?" he asked.

"Because _I_ am going with _you_ three," Aurora said.

"WHAAAAAT!?" the trio gasped. Aurora grinned wider, enjoying their shock.

"We have matters to discuss," Yen Sid said, catching all four of their attention. "In order to defeat Xehanort, there are allies we must gather, acting now to rouse them from their slumber," he said. The trio stood up straight, like soldiers. "Aurora's abilities will aid you greatly in this," he added, glancing at his apprentice. Aurora straightened up a little, and nodded.

"We have discussed this before, Sora," he added. The trio nodded. Yen Sid let out a heavy sigh. "Your Mark of Mastery exam was conducted in the hopes you would acquire the power to wake them. However, the darkness nearly took control of you, and your grasp of your new abilities leaves much to be desired." Sora looked up at him in surprise, before looking down, seeming sad. "Furthermore, Xehanort nearly made you his vessel, and in the process stripped you of most of the power you had gained by then. I suspect you have already noticed this, correct?"

 _(Wait, what!? Oh gosh… poor Sora…)_ Aurora thought, realizing this was probably another reason Yen Sid wanted Aurora to go with them.

Sora let out a sad sigh.

"Sora…" Aurora, Donald, and Goofy said, sympathizing with the boy.

"Heh!" Sora suddenly stood up straight, planting his hands on his hips. "Whatever! Happens all the time," he said. Goosebumps erupted on Aurora's forearms, and again, Aurora got the feeling Sora was hiding something, but she realized it was how he was feeling, rather than an actual lie.

"Yes." Yen Sid didn't sound convinced. "Chip and Dale are currently analyzing the data that Ansem the Wise provided to Riku and which could offer us a clue to retrieving our friends' lost hearts. I have very high hopes for this data. However, our greatest chance of stopping Xehanort's plan still lies with you, Sora," Yen Sid said.

"If you trust the guidance your heart gives, I know we will find all of the guardians of light. But first, you must regain all the strength you have lost. Perhaps it is foolish to expect a complete recovery, but it is absolutely vital you perfect one power—the power of waking, which you failed to master during your exam.

"There's someone who lost his strength and found it again, a true hero to whom you ought to pay a visit." At those words, Sora's face lit up like a Christmas tree. He then began to flex, surprising Donald and Goofy. "Perhaps he can point you in the right direction," Yen Sid added, trying to contain his grin.

"Got it!" Sora said excitedly, saluting Yen Sid.

"Master Yen Sid…" Donald started.

"You can count on us to take care of Sora!" Goofy finished, both aids stepping forward and saluting. Aurora giggled, stepping forward.

"And you can count on me to take care of all three of them," she said.

"I would have it no other way. I put Sora in your hands," he said, addressing all three of them. Sora grinned brightly.

"Donald! Goofy! Aurora!" he said, grabbing all three of them and pulling them in, almost like a group hug.

"You can't become a master without us!" Donald said.

"Huh?"

"I never woulda thought you'd fail that exam, Sora," Goofy said.

"Hey!"

"Aw, he just needs his friends by his side. Right, Sky Boy?" Aurora said with a grin. Sora huffed.

"Stop calling me that!" he complained, jumping back from the three of them.

"Face it, you're just a half-pint," Donald said.

"But the four of us together make a whole pint!" Goofy said.

"Pint an' a half," Sora said.

"Actually, two pints," Aurora giggled.

"And don't forget, the three of us will keep an eye on you," Donald said, holding his hand out.

"Oh, this is gonna be lots of fun!" Goofy said, putting his hand over Donald's.

"About time I got to go on a full adventure with you three!" Aurora said excitedly, adding her hand to the pile.

"It's not a vacation!" Sora reminded them, adding his hand to the pile. "Let's go!"

The boys turned back to Yen Sid. "Count on us!" they said. Aurora smiled, bowing.

"I won't let you down, Master," she said.

Yen Sid nodded, and the four of them left the study.

…

Aurora leaned back in her seat in the Gummi Ship with a sigh. Sora, who was in the driver's seat, had his arms crossed, a vaguely puzzled look on his face. Donald was drumming his finger's impatiently, while Goofy watched the three of them.

Suddenly, Sora threw his arms in the air. "How're we supposed to get there now?" he demanded of the cockpit's ceiling.

"What!? I thought you knew!" Donald yelled.

"How'd you get there before?" Aurora asked.

"Gosh, we'd open special highways. But it looks like they're all closed, now," Goofy said. "Didn't Master Yen Sid say that Sora should trust the guidance his heart gives?"

"C'mon, Sora. Which way?" Donald demanded.

"I… don't think it quite works like that," Aurora muttered.

"Ummmm…." Sora hummed, dragging out the m.

"Hey, would you get serious?" Donald snapped.

"Gimme a break, I'm trying. These things take time!" Sora replied. Donald rolled his eyes at that.

"Well, since we've already been before, why don't you try picturing our friends like we're there?" Goofy suggested. Sora stood, walking around his chair, and standing in the middle of the cockpit.

"Hmm…." He hummed, cupping his chin in his hand. He then flexed, holding the pose.

Aurora, who was sitting directly in front of Sora (the chairs were in a diamond-like pattern, almost wished she had a camera.

"Well?" Donald asked. Sora threw his hands up in the air in frustration.

"Sorry, I got nothin'. What did you expect?" he said, looking at Donald. Aurora shook her head, then glanced down at the ribbon tied around her wrist. An idea came to her.

"'May your heart be your guiding key'," she said, closing her eyes and putting a hand over her heart with a smile. The three guys turned to her.

"Huh? What's that?" Sora asked. Aurora opened her eyes and smiled wider at them.

"A friend once told me that when I was in trouble. Well, her exact words were 'May your heart be your guiding light home,' but… I feel as though the correct saying is 'May your heart be your guiding key'," she explained. Sora studied her for a moment, before looking down.

"'May my heart be my guiding key'," he muttered. He looked thoughtful for a moment, before a lightbulb went off. With a grin, he rushed forward, back to in front of his seat, and summoned his Keyblade. "I've got it!" he announced. He pointed the blade forward, and the tip flashed with light. Outside of the Gummi Ship, in front of it, a portal appeared.

"It's a gate!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed. Aurora leaned forward excitedly, and Sora flopped back in his seat.

"All right! Olympus Coliseum, here we come!" he cheered, grabbing the controls. The ship shot forward, entering the gate.

…

 **A/N:** Now you know what Aurora will be doing during KH3! This will be her first full adventure with the boys. To echo her, about time!

Also. LOTS of references to WolfieRed23's character, who Aurora has met twice now, _and_ defended in court!


	13. Epilogue

**A/N:** Alright, guys. I'm supposed to be working on practicing my pitches for my business trip next week, but I couldn't focus, so I figured I'd quickly wrap up this story.

In the NEAR FUTURE, I will be posting a new series, called Wings of Light. This one will be strictly Kingdom Hearts, and will feature two more of my OCs. Wings of Light ties into Turnabout Hearts, especially when it comes to KH3/TH3/WoL3, so… I suggest reading it, just to understand who those two characters are.

Alright, nothing else from me here. ONWARD!

…

Epilogue

 _The Wizarding World_

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were seated in their own cart on the Hogwarts Express, thinking over their first year at the Wizarding School.

"I still can't believe we did all that," Ron sighed, flopping back in his seat.

"And won the house cup, too!" Harry added.

"Speaking of which, he gave fifty points to Ravenclaw thanks to Aurora's involvement in saving the Sorcerer's Stone, but… we still don't know what happened to Aurora," Hermione pointed out.

Harry turned, looking out the window. "Dumbledore said she's probably not coming back next year – she would be graduating this year anyway, but… I think she's doing okay," the Boy Who Lived said, before smiling at his friends.

"Yeah, you're right. She was powerful," Ron said with a smile.

"Anything from the trolly, dears?" the well favored voice called from the hall. Harry grinned, pulling out his bag of Wizarding Money.

…

 _Radiant Garden_

Leon stood on one of the cliffs overlooking the Dark Castle. He and Yuffie had easily defeated the Dragon Heartless the man in the black coat had summoned. The man himself had disappeared right after that light had whisked Aurora away, and the Heartless stopped attacking the town.

What worried him, was how familiar that man in the Black Coat seemed with Aurora.

"Please, wherever you are, be okay," he muttered, before returning to Merlin's.

There, he found Lea, Edym, and Kairi, starting their training. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when seeing Edym.

"Is that…?" he started to ask Aerith, who had stepped up next to him.

"Yes. And he bought us good news! Aurora's okay, as are Sora and Riku," Aerith said with a smile. Leon smiled at that, relaxing slightly.

"I never doubted it," he said, crossing his arms. "So what's going on?"

Aerith proceeded to explain.

…

 _Remnant_

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang sighed collectively as the fifth bed in their room was removed.

"So I guess we're just Team RWBY now, huh?" Ruby finally said, before pouting. "She could have at least said bye."

"Apparently it was urgent family business. And, we were kind of in the middle of fighting Torchwick," Blake reminded the team leader.

"So, now she's attending Grove Academy?" Yang asked.

"Apparently, according to Ozpin," Weiss said.

"Well, who knows! Maybe her team will qualify for the Vytal Festival, and we'll get to see her again!" Ruby said excitedly.

"I doubt it. Atlas usually only brings people who are from their main academy," Weiss said.

"And Ozpin usually only makes teams of four," Yang countered. "Things change. I get the feeling we'll be seeing her again."

…

 _Aincrad_

Kirito and Asuna stood in the Black Iron Castle, looking over the wall that held the name of each player who died in SAO.

"I… I'm not finding her," Asuna said, turning to look at her husband.

"But that's impossible. She's not on either of our friends lists anymore. Which means…" Kirito trailed off, continuing her search.

"There is… one other option," the ginger said thoughtfully. Kirito looked up at her.

"What is it?"

"Maybe she escaped."

"'Escaped'?"

"Yes. Escaped Aincrad. Sword Art Online. The _game_ ," Asuna clarified. Kirito slowly turned to look at her.

"But… that should be impossible," he muttered.

"So should Yui, yet… honestly, Kirito, I'd prefer to think that then find her name here," Asuna said, motioning to the wall of names. Kirito glanced between the wall, and his wife, before smiling slightly.

"You're right," he said, taking her hand and leading her out of the depressing place, back into the Town of Beginnings. "Maybe Aurora did escape."

…

 _Feudal Japan_

" _IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!"_ Inuyasha yelled, his claws glowing with gold light. He slashed them through the last of the Neoshadow Heartless that had attacked him when he was trying to save Aurora. He then pulled Kagome onto his back, and shot forward, in the direction Aurora had disappeared.

"What were those things?" Sango asked from the back of Kirara, Miroku seated behind her.

"Perhaps those are the things that Aurora travels around, fighting. They certainly weren't demons," Miroku said.

"Yeah, but Naraku _and_ Kaguya smelled similar to them," Inuyasha countered.

"Maybe they combined with those things?" Kagome suggested. Inuyasha skidded to a stop among the trees, his ears twitching.

"Maybe," he muttered, sniffing the air. "Aurora was here. Along with someone else." He turned this way and that, before putting Kagome down, and dropping to all fours, sniffing the ground.

He circled the spot about three times, before sitting up with a snort of frustration. "They just… _vanish_ ," he snarled.

"What?" Shippo gasped from Kagome's shoulder.

"Is that even possible?" Kagome asked.

"How the hell should I know?" Inuyasha snapped, standing and crossing his arms irritably. He then looked thoughtful. "But those shadow things did appear out of nowhere. I think Aurora sensed them before I even smelled them," he muttered. The group glanced at each other, worry oozing off of them.

"Maybe… this has something to do with Naraku?" Miroku finally said.

"Maybe. Either way, I don't think we're going to find Aurora here," Inuyasha said, pulling Kagome back onto his back. "We should get moving. Who knows if more of those things are around?"

"Right," the group said, following the half-demon's lead. All of their thoughts were going out to their new friend, though, hoping for her safety.

…

 _Twilight Town_

Olette sighed, resting her head on her hand, and glanced out the window of the classroom. She was usually able to the focus on class, but after yesterday, being abducted by the Heartless, only for Aurora to save them… school really didn't seem that important.

Especially after just a year ago, when they helped Sora enter the Organization's Stronghold as well.

She let out another restless sigh, her eyes wondering to the clock tower.

"Olette, are you still with us?" the teacher suddenly asked, causing the girl to quickly look up, blinking.

"Huh?" she asked. The woman tsked.

"I see Hayner is starting to become a bad influence on you," the teacher said.

"Hey!" Hayner called from the back of the room.

"The class is in here, not out there. Please pay attention." The teacher returned to her lecture.

Olette glanced back, catching the eye of Hayner and Pence. But were giving her a worried look. She shrugged slightly and returned her focus to the class, though she couldn't help but wonder if Aurora was actually okay.

…

 _The Legal Age_

Things returned back to normal at the Wright Anything Agency once Phoenix returned, though he did have some interesting stories to tell the others. Thankfully, Edym was taking care of things with his and Aurora's parents, so he wouldn't have to spend another three hours on the phone with Aunt Gwen (who was frankly starting to scare him).

Meanwhile, in one of the art studios at Ivy University, Patty Tain, a friend of Aurora's and witness from her first case, was working on her final project for her Painting III class. She suddenly froze, brush halfway to the canvas, and looked out the window, her left hand gripping at the blue, star-shaped mark on the back of her hand.

 _ **RECONNECT**_

 _ **KINGDOM HEARTS**_

…

 **A/N:** I did the thing. The credit scenes, plus the "Reconnect" thing, haha!

So, this is a glimpse to how everyone is doing after the craziness of DDD! Thank you for reading!


End file.
